“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over in my life. And that’s why I succeed!” – Michael Jordan
One of the sharpest contrasts of paradigms between the super successful and the near do wells or outright failures is their perspective about failing. The contrast is so alarming, yet many don’t know. In my little sojourn and study, I have discovered quite amazingly that the rich and the poor, the great and the average, the skilled and he amateur, have different philosophies about failing. If your philosophy can change, then you have indeed begun your journey into the school of success. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. You are not more than your way of thinking. Read these words, and let them transform your thinking, changing the way you see failing and rejection has the capacity to transform your life in 3 months.
Failing is one of the best things that can happen to a human being! Rejection is be most powerful motivation tool on earth! Getting a “No!” from your prospects or friends is the best self development training in the world! Failing is golden! The act of falling short, or missing expectations, of not meeting up with the desired results or getting woeful results is precious. You need to motivate yourself to fail, get yourself the opportunity of being rejected, go into places you’ll hear no’s more often, for success is elusive to those who have no history of failing! Failure must never be a place that defines you, but you must be conversant with failing. Like Thomas Watson one time MD of IBM said, “I have discovered, that in order to double my success rate, I simply double my failure rate!”. You are not ready to succeed, until you are prepared to fail 🙂
Listen to me, it’s not your potential that counts. It’s not how skilled you are that counts, it’s not even who you know. The greatest change that can happen to you will only happen, when your paradigm shifts about failing. Once that shifts, all the other elements begin to fall into place. In the football match of failing vs succeeding, the person that wins is not the person with the most goals, one goal from succeeding is enough to wipe away all the memories of failing. It is not who scores most that wins, it’s who scores last! Do you really want to be success? Do you really want to be great? Do you want to be wealthy and loved? Then you must ready to fail, but not be characterized a failure, you must be ready to fall, and get up again and again and again. You must be ready to try, and in case you don’t succeed, try again.
It’s strange how we quote many great men and yet refuse to subscribe to their principles. It’s amazing how we listen to their stories with inspired awe, and yet refuse to leave our comfort zones. What these people did, you can do as well, you only need to change your perception of failing. You need to learn to fail and fail forward. Don’t be deceived by reading peoples current lives, and thinking they were successful from the word “Go”. They weren’t, it’s just interesting that life covers the tracks left behind by successful men and women and makes it difficult to follow. All the struggle and down times is till you succeed. So keep at it!
Abraham Lincoln became one of the greatest presidents America ever had after a string of failed attempts at different things. Even though his documented catalog of never quitting from failed attempts is being thrown out as not totally true, it is inspiring that a man would go through all that and end successful. He lost his mother, lost his job, lost his girl friend, lost money, lost elections and ended up becoming the president of the United States of America. Doesn’t it sound exciting that it doesn’t matter how much you lost, what you lost, and how badly you lost, if it ends up putting you on the sit of honor and power? We all share with excitement the story of Thomas Edison whose failures with the light bulb was his education of how it ought not to be done? That are rooms are well lit today, and we can watch televisions today, listen to radio today, and can plug anything to electricity today, because someone somewhere did not consider himself to delicate to have the temporary experience of failure!
I have failed before, that is why I am succeeding today. It has been bad before, that’s why it’s better than good today. Light is of no value if there is no darkness to dispel. Failure can damage you, if you allow it, but it can shape you if you take charge. My failures have been instrumental to my successes. My dissatisfaction with my past, has allowed me to restrategize for my future. The exams I didn’t do well in, made me feel rejected and sad, but they strengthened my resolve to say “Never again!” The “No’s” that I have heard have helped me to redevelop my message. There is nothing that powers up a human being more than the feeling of rejection, of not being part of the group of being second class. If you allow the failure to become your tool, it can propel you to greater heights.
Stop allowing the fear of failure to intimidate you, embrace failure as an experience development tool, embrace rejection as a motivator, embrace “No” as a self help self development tool, and watch if your life will not transform. Watch if you will not have new stories, watch if the quality of your life will not improve. Stop sitting on your butt and hoping for the day things will change, make a move, and let God direct you. It’s totally stressful trying to steer a parked car… start the ignition, change the gears, throttle, and steer left or right as you go. The car light rarely sees more than 200 meters into the night, you won’t see it all when you start to move, but you’ll figure it out as you go. He that moves and asks for direction seldom gets lost. May you fail forward, may you fail successfully!
Selah!
29 thoughts on “Failing Successfully!”
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What a great write up…"That I fail does not mean that I am a failure, it only means I should try again"
The Cathechism of the Catholic Church teaches, Saints falls seven times a day but what makes the difference, they stand up, continue the struggles after every fall.
You are 100% correct but we still need to know that failure and success are twins.Once you avoid one, you won't get the other.Failure is part of success.If you avoid failure you are avoiding success.Great Article.
Word!
@Tomiwa
You are a champion.
@Deolu
Good one mate.
inspiring….. Chairman, u are talking to me……..! can i post this on my blog?
Hmmmm….. good post, i guess something great is about to happen, Deolu is on fire again with his consistent post, nice one my brother, thanks.
@ Oyeyemi,
Copyright is the right to copy, so far it is copied right 🙂
Waoh, fantastic, simply fantastic! This is truth that every forward thinking person needs to embrace.
Dee, welldone!
Failing forward is one of the most impactful books i ever laid hands on as a student.
interestingly, many people at different points in their lives(waec and jamb) failed, got up and tried again as many times as they required to succeed finally.
Even in the institutions of learning, many couldn't pass some courses for a while but didn't quit from school or the dept.
If only people knew that they tried about 10,000times before they walked as children and just as many times before they could speak fluently the language they speak now, they'll know that failure isn't an end but a bend on the way to success.
CM, great yarns…
Very interesting post and like you have mentioned most successful people have failed before.
Well written Deolu. May be it will also be thoughtful to add that every failure has a lesson poised in it. It is therefore imperative that we grab these lessons so that we don't end up repeating the class over and over again. It is never a mistake to repeat a mistake; it is our foolishness and refusal to learn our lessons. I would rather choose to fail in different areas than to fail in one area time and time again. Just like the proverbial saying, when a small child falls, he stands and keeps running but an adult stands, look back to see what has tripped him before continuing. Let us all learn from our failures so we can cut our losses and save the day.
you are indeed how HERO we believe that with people like you how future is bright I have been read your writeup it has been of help to me tell me i can make it.
we LOVE U
Hmm! Another thought-provoking piece, i would say.
There are vital lessons life teaches at each phase of our existence and the longer it takes us to learn them, the longer that phase lasts. And if we avoid, if it were possible, those phases entirely, we stall our progress.
The lessons that experience teaches are for those who try.
I missed ur visit to PH, had an important youth function to attend at the same time.
Many thanks, Sir!
P.S: Still expectantly keeping in touch.
THOUGHT PROVOKING AND VERY INCISIVE. i felt as if you were talking to.In other word,seek the valuable lessons in every setback: difficulties comes not to obstruct but to instruct.thank you so much sir.
You are not ready to succeed, until you are prepared to fail. This is for me. Brian Tracy said: "FAILURE IS AN EMBODIMENT OF KNOWLEDGE" Chairman sir, I can't thank you enough.
Wow this is a great resource.. I’m enjoying it.. good article
You are not ready to succeed, until you are prepared to fail. This is for me. Brian Tracy said: "FAILURE IS AN EMBODIMENT OF KNOWLEDGE" Chairman sir, I can't thank you enough.
Enter text right here!
Failure is a part of success. No one can ever think of success without passing through the route of failure. Failure makes success more real and tangible in the hands of a man. Deolu i love you. You are simply the best.
Great stuff. Thanks
No one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality and likewise every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success.sir,you are an alchemist.
“A person without scars from mistakes is unaccomplished and will remain so for some time to come.”
I thoroughly enjoyed your piece. It certainly made my “baby to jump.”
By the way guys, the gift in you is your baby.
God bless
I thoroughly enjoyed your article, Failing Successfully. Please, I need your permission to have it published on our forthcoming change-driven magazine, Jingle, under the Golden Talk segment. Please do reply. thank you for your time!
my email: goldenmindsnigeria@gmail.com pls
Abraham lincoln was a great man he failed several times. Well with God on our side we will be the best we can be.Nice one Deolu, i pray his wisdom will not depart from you life.r text right here!
True talk. Please don't stop the ink flow. More inspiration………………….
Sir,your artticle speaks nothing but the truth.obstacle or failure can either serve as a stepping stone or stumbling block,it can either encourage or discourage one depend on the person perception.many people are suffering because they refuse to stand up and try again.in the sand of hestitation lies millions of bone who at the eve of their success sat down to wait,waiting they die.my brothers no matter how bad things is it can always get better.
Failure is a tool of change. It is d most amazing tool f change. you just need to recognise when you fail, but don’t settle for it. learn 2 challenge yourself by the numbers of failure you have recorded so far.