I recently took my kids to a Chinese food restaurant that they requested.
We usually play this game about who gets a “Keeper” fortune cookie paper strip.
Funny that the three fortune cookies served to us had one without the paper strip.
Of the two, we got a Keeper, which is simply one with a quote that is so profound to life and leadership.
The inscription, if not eligible is: “Failure is not defeated until you stop trying”
Albert Einstein said: “You never fail until you stop trying”.
Life without failures is like a river without water. It is an inherent part of existence but why do we all fear failing so much?
Perhaps we are more worried about letting others down.
Perhaps because of how the world celebrates success and shuns failure?
John F Kennedy famously said: “Success has many fathers but failure is an orphan.” No one wants to be lonely indeed.
But failing is exactly what unlocks mental strength and growth like nothing else.
So in life, you really want to get comfortable with failing as early as possible.
Think about when you started learning how to walk. Remember how many times you fell down (failed) and woke up and continue trying without even thinking about it.
Then after so many of these attempts, one day you just walk (success). Nature instills this mental fortitude about failure early in our lives and we quickly forget it. We shouldn’t, because all those who have succeeded didn’t.
Remember Thomas Edison’s 10,000 attempts to create a light bulb.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison
Dyson before he invented the bagless vacuum cleaner is reported to have made over 5000 attempts.
Michael Jordan, the famous basketball player said: “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that count.” – Winston Churchill
Don’t let failure or the fear of it be on your way to success.
“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” – Robert T. Kiyosaki
Developing the leader in you indicates your search for greatness. Remember this:
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy
So, embrace failure(s) and never be afraid of it. It is an essential ingredient of success!