Failure Can Catapult Your Success

For every successful venture, I have yet to see complete, undaunting achievement without accompanying failure. Oftentimes, 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 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 I heard about Joe Dudley, the inventor, owner, and distributor of Dudley Hair Care Products, a multimillion-dollar company. He failed first grade and was labeled retarded. He had learning disabilities, struggled with his grades throughout school, and was written off as a failure. It devastated him, but 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 most 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 other 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 of $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. Oftentimes, 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 to not 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 Past a Failure

The following actions will ensure the proper response and provide a stimulus for growth, development, and self-improvement.

Recognize that now you know more than you did before.
You know what not to do, and thereby you increase the probability of 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
Change your assumptions and look for new opportunities.
Donald Trump got partners to help share the risk and to attack the problems.
“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
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
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
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 has 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
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
Take the risk.
I once heard someone say that there are three types of people: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who ask “what happened?” 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 that a wise man falls seven times, but he gets back up. Failure is not an option.

** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. To get complete details on “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life”, visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/greatways2.html.