SIX THINGS I LEARNED FROM FAILURE

LESSONS FROM FAILING

I can still remember as a child the first time I tried to bake a cake by myself.  I had found a box of chocolate cake mix in the cupboard and thought, “Now what can be so hard about this?”  My mom was at work so I called her to ask if I could make the cake.  She tried to deter me, but I was confident that I could read and follow the directions.  She reluctantly gave me permission to go ahead.  Everything went fine until I took the finished product out of the oven.  It looked and smelled like a cake—even chocolate, my favorite!  However, as it cooled it began to sink.  But it looked and smelled so good!  I couldn’t resist, I had to try some.  It was rather gooey and tasted like fudge—delicious!  Of course, it didn’t seem right, but I put it in a covered cake container.  Every day I’d eat some of the fudgy concoction.  Over half the cake was consumed before my mom discovered the undercooked delectable (beginning to mold).  She made me throw away the remaining product, but helped me bake another with her expert supervision.

Since that time I’ve tried many times to be PERFECT.  Many times I’ve failed to achieve what I thought was success and fallen short of my goal.  However, in the process I’ve learned six things.

1.  Failure can be a learning process.  If I reevaluate my endeavor and discover my mistakes, I can avoid them in the future.  Also by examining my mistakes I can learn valuable lessons for success.  The important thing is to not give up, which leads to my next point.

2.  Sometimes I failed just because I gave up too soon.

"It's not whether you get knocked down. It's whether you get up again." Vince Lombardi

Don't Give Up

Walt Disney was turned down 302 times before he got financing for his dream of creating the "Happiest Place on Earth". Today, due to his persistence, millions of people have shared 'the joy of Disney'. Colonel Sanders spent two years driving across the United States looking for restaurants to buy his chicken recipe. He was turned down 1,009 times! How successful is Kentucky Fried Chicken today? Having said this, keep in mind that you must constantly reevaluate your circumstances and the approach you are using to reach your goal. There is no sense in being persistent at something that you are doing incorrectly! Sometimes you have to modify your approach along the way. Every time you do something you learn from it, and therefore find a better way to do it the next time.

A famous president may have appeared to be a failure when looking at his political record. He failed in business in ’31, was defeated for the legislature in ’32, failed in business in ’34.  His sweetheart died in ’35. He had a nervous breakdown in ’36, was defeated for Senate in ’55, defeated for Vice President in ’56, and defeated for Senate in ’58.

 (* If you haven’t guessed who this President was, go to the end of this post.)

I am encouraged by the light bulb inventor, Thomas Edison.  His perspective on failure was:

“I have not failed.  I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

           “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

"An inventor fails 999 times, and if he succeeds once, he's in. He treats his failures simply as practice shots." Charles F. Kettering

3. Failure may be a result of attitude (pride, fear or dislike)

Being overly confident (prideful) causes me to overlook simple details that cause me to fail.  Thinking I already “know it all” makes me less receptive to instruction and advice.

“Pride goes before destruction; a haughty spirit before a fall. Prov.16:18 NIV.

If I’ve tried something and failed before or if something is completely new to me, I am less likely to put forth the effort to succeed or take the risk to try the task out of fear of failing.

Also, if I dislike some task or subject, I am more likely to procrastinate doing it or I put it off all together. 

"The greatest failure is the failure to try." William Arthur Ward

These attitudes block my ability to think clearly or comprehend new concepts.

4.  Failing does not make me a failure.

Lessons of Failure

Listed in: Challenge & Adversity, Success

Lord, are you trying to tell me something?
For…

Failure does not mean I’m a failure;
It does mean I have not yet succeeded.

Failure does not mean I have accomplished nothing;
It does mean I have learned something.

Failure does not mean I have been a fool;
It does mean I had enough faith to experiment.

Failure does not mean I have disgraced;
It does mean I have dared to try.

Failure does not mean I don’t have it;
It does mean I have something to do in a different way.

Failure does not mean I am inferior;
It does mean I am not perfect.

Failure does not mean I have wasted my life;
It does mean that I have an excuse to start over.

Failure does not mean that I should give up;
It does mean that I should try harder.

Failure does not mean that I will never make it;
It does mean that I need more practice.

Failure does not mean that you have abandoned me;
It does mean that you must have a better idea

(Author Unknown, Source Unknown)

 "Failure is an event, never a person; an attitude, not an outcome." Zig Ziglar

"Failure doesn't mean you are a failure...it just means you haven't succeeded yet. "

            Robert Schuller

5.  Failures can be overcome.

 "Failures don't plan to fail; they fail to plan." Harvey Mackay

 6. If All Else Fails Keep Moving On

Overcoming Failure

When All Else Fails

Get Back Up by Toby Mac

*Elected President in '60... This man was Abraham Lincoln.