Can Failure Help You Succeed?
There is one common element to all successful product launches, careers, inventions and any worthwhile endeavor sought after and achieved. That common element is called failure.
When you understand what success means then you will completely grasp the idea that failure is a part of success. Thomas Watson Sr. who founded the IBM company said "the formula for success is quite simple: Double your rate of failure." Now what does this mean? This means that the more you fail, the closer you are to becoming successful at the task you're trying to achieve. When I was growing up failure was something that most people tried to avoid because there was a negative connotation associated with it.
When I got F's on my papers or report cards no one would sit down with me and explain what the "F" meant. What I know now about success and its key ingredient, failure, the "F" simple meant I did not understand the material good enough to get a passing grade. Unfortunately, I accepted the "F" and did not attempt to do any better the next time.
No matter what you do in life you will fail at something. If you become too afraid to try something because of the fear of failure, you will never learn from your mistakes. You will never grow as a person and as a result you will never gain the courage to step out and try something new.
To understand success and failure, consider the following:
Michael Jordon missed the game wining shot 26 times and missed more than 9,000 shots in his career.
Thomas Edison tried out thousands of different versions of the light bulb that failed every time before he found a version that worked. When asked about his process he said "I have not failed. I simply found ten thousand ways that don't work."
Abraham Lincoln failed in business, been defeated multiple times when running for various public office positions before he was elected President of the United States in 1860. If Lincoln was afraid of failure, we would have never heard of him.
Don't just bunt your way through life. Experience what it feels like to win the big prize, to hit a home run. You must follow through with a full swing to have a chance at a home run. Learn to accept failure as your friend. No experience in life is wasted as long as we learn from it. Failure is a process we must go through in order for us to learn and grow.
When you understand what success means then you will completely grasp the idea that failure is a part of success. Thomas Watson Sr. who founded the IBM company said "the formula for success is quite simple: Double your rate of failure." Now what does this mean? This means that the more you fail, the closer you are to becoming successful at the task you're trying to achieve. When I was growing up failure was something that most people tried to avoid because there was a negative connotation associated with it.
When I got F's on my papers or report cards no one would sit down with me and explain what the "F" meant. What I know now about success and its key ingredient, failure, the "F" simple meant I did not understand the material good enough to get a passing grade. Unfortunately, I accepted the "F" and did not attempt to do any better the next time.
No matter what you do in life you will fail at something. If you become too afraid to try something because of the fear of failure, you will never learn from your mistakes. You will never grow as a person and as a result you will never gain the courage to step out and try something new.
To understand success and failure, consider the following:
Michael Jordon missed the game wining shot 26 times and missed more than 9,000 shots in his career.
Thomas Edison tried out thousands of different versions of the light bulb that failed every time before he found a version that worked. When asked about his process he said "I have not failed. I simply found ten thousand ways that don't work."
Abraham Lincoln failed in business, been defeated multiple times when running for various public office positions before he was elected President of the United States in 1860. If Lincoln was afraid of failure, we would have never heard of him.
Don't just bunt your way through life. Experience what it feels like to win the big prize, to hit a home run. You must follow through with a full swing to have a chance at a home run. Learn to accept failure as your friend. No experience in life is wasted as long as we learn from it. Failure is a process we must go through in order for us to learn and grow.