Person A tries to do something, fails, and in order to not fail again givesup.
Person B tries to do the same thing, fails, then tries again and fails, and tries again and fails, each time learning something more until on the 100th time they succeed.
Person A failed once, person B failed a hundred times, person B is better off for they have learned how to succeed rather than given up.
If you avoid doing something for fear of failure you're worse off than if you fail at it until you get it right.
Person B plays a game of chess and loses. Then he loses again. And again. Then he wins. (Then he finds a stronger opponent and starts again.)
Person A didn't gain anything, while person B found a new hobby that he enjoys spending his time with. Of course, this example only works if both were interested in chess and A really gave up, rather than just figuring out that chess isn't his thing.
Say, for instance, public speaking. We are all familiar with the feeling of fear when speaking in front of a group. However, going on stage and trying different stuff, is (quickly) going to get you better at speaking. I could watch a million YouTube movies about public speaking, but actually trying and failing is the shortest way to getting actually better at it. Only when analyzing what could go better, watching those movies can provide valuable input for a next try (asking an expert is even better). The thing is: negativity and fear (of criticism) often gets the better of us, way before we fail enough to succeed. This often when we hear: "I'm just not a natural born speaker" and stop trying. - Guess what, almost no-one is. Just don't be afraid to fail.
You can give people wisdom and advice, but the most important lessons cant be told; until you actually try and fail, you wont listen. Examples include: dont build consumer startups, b2b is way better. Co-founding a startup with someone living 3,000 miles away is a bad idea. Solid legal contracts are very important.
Don't know why but this text made me remember Shunryu Suzuki's "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind".