What Is the Try-Fail Cycle? – How Struggle Makes You Stronger

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Every hero faces moments of failure, frustration, and doubt — but those setbacks aren’t signs of weakness; they’re proof of growth. In this episode of Full Mental Bracket, Brent and Camille Diggs break down the try-fail cycle, a powerful stage of the Hero’s Journey that reveals why struggle is essential to transformation.

Through stories, psychology, and a bit of humor, they explore how the science of resilience and the dopamine reward system help us persist through hard times. If you’ve ever wondered why success seems to demand so many failures first, this episode will show you how to find meaning in the mess — and strength in every setback.

What if your failures aren’t setbacks—but proof that you’re becoming the hero of your own story? Before every breakthrough comes a dozen breakdowns, and each one is shaping who you’re meant to be.

In this episode of Full Mental Bracket, Brent and Camille Diggs explore the try-fail cycle — a crucial stage of the Hero’s Journey that shows how repeated struggle and perseverance forge true growth.

They unpack how the psychology of resilience and the science of dopamine actually reward persistence, why instant success is an illusion, and how the stories we tell (and live) gain meaning through our setbacks. You’ll leave this conversation with tools to find purpose in your own challenges — and see your failures as proof of transformation.

✅ How to recognize your own try-fail cycles in life and creative work
✅ Why your focus determines your freedom and emotional resilience
✅ The difference between suffering and meaningful struggle
✅ How journaling can reframe pain, release resentment, and restore peace
✅ How to turn hardship into wisdom and purpose — becoming the hero of your own story

✅ You’re tired of feeling powerless in the face of life’s challenges
✅ You’ve wrestled with blame, burnout, or unfair circumstances and want to shift from frustration to focus
✅ You’re ready to stop chasing instant results and start embracing real growth

⏳ 00:00 – Introduction: What Is the Try-Fail Cycle in the Hero’s Journey?
⏳ 05:40 – Why Every Hero’s Success Requires Struggle and Failure
⏳ 07:21 – Inigo Montoya & The Try-Fail Cycle: Lessons in Perseverance
⏳ 11:27 – How Failure Fuels Growth, Resilience, and Self-Development
⏳ 13:27 – Dopamine and Motivation: The Neuroscience of Resilience
⏳ 16:56 – Perseverance and Grit: Turning Setbacks into Strength
⏳ 18:21 – Shared Struggle and Connection: The Psychology of Belonging
⏳ 21:26 – Choosing Your Interpretations: Focus, Control, and Meaning
⏳ 22:40 – Takeaways: Applying Try-Fail to Life

Full Transcript

• Writing Excuses podcast
• How It Should Have Ended
• EP015 – Inconceivable! – How The Princess Bride Teaches Us Growth Mindset
• EP004 – Find Your Tribe – Because No One Succeeds Alone – (more on relational wealth)
• EP005 – Embrace the Struggle – Lean In and Level Up – (more on try-fail)

Listen now

🎧 Listen now to rediscover your strength, peace, and purpose — and learn how your setbacks are secretly shaping your success.

Subscribe to Full Mental Bracket wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week for more insights on storytelling, psychology, and personal transformation.