Failure Can Catapult Your Success

Posted by Catherine Eagan at 9/25/2007 6:08 PM
Categories: uncategorized
By Catherine B. Eagan

For every successful venture, I have yet to see complete, undaunting
achievement without accompanying failure. Often times we think of failure as
a tragedy; it's true that it can be a temporary setback. Nevertheless, every
great endeavor has a degree of darkness in its past often masked in the
clothing of risk. Call it a calculated or uncalculated risk - some failure
is inevitable.

Most people are trained to view failure as defeat. It shatters self-esteem
as opposed to being a bridge to success. Consequently, failure is not
embraced as a tool for learning.

Failure Is the Mother of Invention and Innovation

I'm reminded of a story Joe Dudley shared with me. He is the inventor,
owner, and distributor of Dudley Hair Care Products a multi-million dollar
company. He failed first grade and was labeled mentally retarded. He had
learning disabilities, struggled with his grades throughout school and was
written off as a failure. His life changed when his girlfriend and would be
wife dropped him. It devastated him. He converted his failure into his
greatest success. He went back to his grammar books and learned how to read.
His career took off, he married a wonderful woman, and by 1995, he was
awarded the prestigious Horatio Alger Award after achieving tremendous
success.

I look at modern day icons like Donald Trump touted as one of America's
successful, billionaire real estate magnets, yet he has filed bankruptcy two
times and restructured over $2.8 billion dollars of debt. At first, the look
of failure was devastating however; he bounced back stronger both times.
Moreover, what about Walt Disney who had failed ventures before the colossal
success of Disneyland theme park and Disney motion pictures? Or people like
MC Hammer, Henry Heinz, Henry Ford, and a host of others luminaries who have
had bankruptcy as a part of their resumes. Great achievements are often
surrounded by high risks that can sometimes result in failed outcomes.

Dictionary.com defines failure as receiving an unintended result. If we
receive unintended results all we have to do is learn from them, change our
strategy, and do something different to achieve the intended outcome. Thomas
Edison, after hundreds of failed attempts to invent the incandescent
electric light said each time "I am not discouraged, because every wrong
attempt discarded is another step forward."

Have the Courage to "Do Something Different"

Sometimes we need to take a different route to achieve success. Most of his
college professors probably dubbed Bill Gates a failure for dropping out of
Harvard in his junior year but today, according to Forbes Magazine he is the
richest American with a net worth at $46.5 billion and loving it. He is also
significantly philanthropic with a foundation of over $32 million. With a
passion for developing computer software programs Gates decided to do
something different.

Often times doing something different requires you to take a risk. Whether
calculated or not, taking a risk can potentially result in failure.
Generally, the greater the risk the greater the reward. It is far better to
take the risk and shoot for the stars than not to risk at all. Perhaps you
are the next world changer.

Failure is a part of the Learning Curve
Thomas Edison once said, "Many of life's failures are men who did not
realize how close they were to success when they gave up." Once you realize
that failure is a part of the learning process you can recognize it as
instructional, move on to accomplish your goals, and achieve your dreams.
Press through the hard places and achieve your success.

Be Proactive - Take Action to Get Pass a Failure
The following actions will insure the proper response and provide a stimulus
for growth, development, and self-improvement:

1. Recognize that now you know more than you did before.
You know what not to do and thereby you increase the probability for
success.

Remember the two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what
doesn't work; and second, the failure gives you the opportunity to try a new
approach.
Roger von Oech, author of A Whack on the Side of the Head

 

2. Change Your Assumptions and Look for New Opportunities.
Donald Trump got partners to help share the risk and to attack the
problems.

Incorrect assumptions lie at the root of every failure. Have the courage to
test your assumption.
Brian Tracy, author of Success is a Journey

When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so
regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for
us.
Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone

3. Don't Give Up.
Thomas Edison kept trying new approaches to obtain success and he
succeeded with over 1,090 inventions. After 10,000 unsuccessful attempts to
develop his electric light bulb over one and a half years, Thomas said, "I
have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Edison
discovered that men do not fail; they give up trying.

Success means not giving up.

Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest
summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and
should have.
Louis E. Boone, author of Contemporary Business

4. Reinvent Yourself or the Project.
Take a fresh look at the challenge and have the courage and creativity to
strategize a different approach. Toss the problem up in the air and look at
it from all angles.

Because a fellow has failed once or twice, or a dozen times, you don't want
to set him down as a failure till he's dead or loses his courage - and
that's the same thing.
George Horace Lorimer, former editor of the Saturday Evening Post

5. Encourage Yourself.
A failed project does not mean you are a failure. Never give up hope.
Failure is an event. If you have 10 failures, you are a person who had 10
failed events. You are not defined by your failures. List 10 amazing things
about yourself daily.

History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered
heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused
to become discouraged by their defeats.
B. C. Forbes, founder of Forbes Magazine

6. Evaluate and Make Adjustments.
Take time to identify the unexpected outcome and do what it takes to be
successful. Evaluation is a continuous part of the success equation. Always
evaluate and then make the necessary adjustments - don't be afraid to change
your plans.

The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence
in creating new plans to take the place of those, which fail.
Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich

7. Take the Risk.
I once heard someone say there are three types of people; those who make
it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who say "what happen." In
order to experience, success take the risk.

Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget about everything except what
you're going to do now - and do it.
William Durant, founder of General Motors

When you recognize that failure is part of the process, you can use it to
catapult yourself to your next level of success.

An old proverb says, a wise man falls seven times but he gets back up.
Failure is not an option.

 

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