Editor Note: This is a guest post authored by Ben Lumley of The New Horizons Project. Thank you Ben!
Success is 99% Failure.
~ Soichiro Honda
For many of us, success is something that we are constantly striving towards. Some of us are consumed by the idea of achieving success in whatever we put our minds to. It drives us forward onwards to bigger and better things. There are some people who take this too far and try to be successful at everything resulting in arrogance and a lack of respect for others. Unfortunately everyone seems to forget that failure is part of achieving success and that failure is integral to not only achieving success but also to appreciating it.
When you look at some of the successful people in the world, you will see that at times they have experienced failure and learnt from it, which has helped them become more successful.
Richard Branson, for example, failed exams at school, had business ventures fail, failed in attempts to go round the world in a hot air balloon, and got into debt. But all of these failures, whether large or small, have helped him to be more successful. Why? Because successful people learn from their mistakes and failures and use what they have learned to radically change the future for themselves. Without failure success is harder to achieve. By learning from your failures, from what has caused them, from what you contributed to the failure, and from what you can change, you can become more successful too.
Here are some practical ideas for dealing with failure:
A simple illustration of how failure is vital on any journey for success can be seen in the notion of finding a light switch in the dark given in Psycho-Cybernetics
So you start to use the sensory information you got and begin piecing it together to give you a better idea of where the light switch is. This time you find something that feels like a light switch, but doesn’t seem to switch the light on; maybe it’s the switch for the AC or a power point. You know you are close because the two switches are next to each other. You try again and this time you find the light switch and on comes the light!!!
In all your attempts to find the light switch, apart from the last one, you fail but instead of simply giving up and living in the dark you quickly learn from what happened and try again. So why – when trying to achieve something amazing in your life – do you give up so quickly? Are not all attempts at success no matter how big or how small the same?
Failure also heightens the sense of achievement when you experience success. If you have felt what it is like to fail, you will more grateful and respectful of the success you achieve because you will know what it took for you to succeed. Only by truly experiencing failure will you know what it means to truly succeed.
Too many people these days give up when they fail and turn away from what they want to succeed in, deciding maybe to try something else. If you choose to do the same when you fail then you never achieve the things you want in your life. And when you are sitting in your chair in the latter years of your life, you will regret the fact that you gave up too easily. Achieving success isn’t easy but everyone should strive for some kind of success whether large or small and not give up when the going gets tough.
Why do we fall Bruce? So we can learn to stand up again.
~ Dr Thomas Wayne (Batman Movie)
My name is Ben Lumley and my blog The New Horizons Project will challenge you to think about yourself and the world around you by seeing things differently. I have a post about Compassion that the readers of UrbanMonk.Net might like.
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47 Comments
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I notice that I struggle with little failures. Maybe I won’t have any comments on my article that I think will be a big hit or someone at work says something to throw me off. When this happens I fall into a little funk.
I know that if I allow myself to wallow in these feelings I can fall even further, into a full on depression. To combat this I think of myself as a boxer, preferably Ali, so smooth on my feet and dodging each negative thought. While I’m dancing like a butterfly I push myself into a new task to keep my mind occupied, stinging like a bee.
Then before I know it that little failure spurred on some good work. Great article. It helped me understand the new me that is emerging. Thanks.
The most successful people are those who fail the most.
The fact that they have failed a lot means they keep trying. The fact that they keep trying means they are gaining experience. By gaining experience, they are learning from their mistakes. By learning from their mistakes, they have a great chance of succeeding the next time out.
No doubt about it.
MrAchievement
Stanley Bronstein
Attorney, CPA, Author, Blogger & Professional Motivational Speaker
Change the word failure to feedback, it changes the whole perspective.
I agree with Tim – the word “failure” has so much negative judgment attached. Instead of success or failure, I think of results. Some are expected, others are not – whether the results are positive or negative.
Successful people continue in spite of “failure,” I think, because they don’t perceive it as such. They don’t take it personally. They tried something that created an unexpected or undesirable result. And so they try something different!
Blessings,
Andrea
Great article, thanks Ben (and thanks Albert, for featuring it).
It’s good to be reminded that success isn’t a linear process–it’s something more like a spiral of experiences (including the achievements, the failures, and the “almost got there”s) that widens your perspective and leads you to more opportunities.
I am really glad you wrote this post. So often wehn working with students they become upset about making mistakes, or not being right 100% of the time. I ask them if they are a tree or a rock, because they are a couple of entities that i do not think make mistakes. they are perfect.
so accepting that we are human, and that it is a part of humaness to learn, means we need to accept that we make mistakes. otherwise, where is the learning? if we already knew a topic we couldn’t be taking a subject!
the letting go of attachment to the mistake seems for me to be all about ego- “oh, i put so much effort and time into it and i stuffed it/ruined it/lost it…etc”
yeah well~ i am learning to get over myself
life is short, my shortfalls give me the opportunity to be the person i want to be- patient, persevering, a problem-solver, and accepting of what i draw to my life.
Thank you everyone! I’m sure Ben will be elated to read your comments. Yes, it is a great article, isn’t it?
Hi everyone
Thank you to you all for your lovely comments. I am very grateful
Cheers Albert you’re the man
Thanks ben, I really needed that post right now, it came just at the right time – I just lost out on a job interview for a job I really really wanted.
I read somewhere: I man who never fails, Never do anything worthwhile
Success includes exploring valleys and climbinng mountins to reach those peaks. Without the valleys and vigorous climbs, we would have no understanding of anticipation. Without the experience of knowing what success isn’t, it would be more difficult to sense what it really is.
I read from the Alex Shalman post, that successful people does not plan results, they plan actions. I think it’s a key point why it is so crucial to dare to make mistakes and failures. Ken Robinson shared in his TED talk, if you are not ready to make mistakes, you won’t come with something authentic.
Plan for failure… mmm that’s thought provoking. Thanks for sharing this article Albert!
Cheers,
Robert
I really appreciate all your comments guys! It was my pleasure to feature Ben, he’s a great guy and an equally good writer.
Failure is indeed important for success. I have seen people doing nothing in fear of being failed.
Great post. I’m a full-time equity trader and the best education I’ve ever had is the sum total of all of my losing trades. Nothing educates you like a kick in the pants.
I completely agree. Thanks so much for the profound wisdom….
I always remember the quote from Anna Quindlen:
“If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all.”
Too many people are chasing success that earns recognition and admirations from the world, but does not brings real fulfillment to their heart.
Thanks for the great post! Cheers,
Jordan Cheng
Thank you for your additional insights and comments guys. Each comment here is always appreciated
Every instance of failure is indeed a form of education. At least that’s how I treat them!
I couldn’t agree more… If you have no idea what failure is, you won’t be able to appreciate real quality when you encounter it. Makes you wonder what all we take for granted every day. Thanks for the encouragement!
thanks for the advice .. I just want to add what Rocky says in his movie:
…I don’t care how tough you are, It’ll (life) will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winnin’ is done.
Now if you know what you’re worth, go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits and not point fingers saying you ain’t where you want to be because him or her or anybody…
Thank you guys and gals, I’m really excited by how well this article has been received.
Failure is an integral part, if my life is any indication. I’ve been both up and down, successful and a failure, good and bad, etc. And while failure is always tough to take, its also integral to appreciating success. I think Ben hits the nail on the head, especially in regards to planning. One of the most famous Zen meditations is one that focuses on watching a flower grow, from planting the seed in the soil to flowering. If you can teach yourself to visualize the seed bursting and sending forth roots, you can consequently meditate/visualize what it will take to take your germ of an idea and bring it into the world. Part and parcel of this ability, is to both understand the various steps required for success, but also should help to overcome temporary setbacks (failure). Ergo, Ben, I’d suggest not only planning on failure, but meditating on it as well.
Cory
Perhaps, without failures, we wouldn’t treasure so much the success.
But sometimes we have goals that are not truly ours. We try hard to archive them and after we succeed, we don’t get the feeling of happiness. That’s why it’s important to know well ourselves and not to be easily influenced by others.
Thank you Den and Cory – I’m really grateful you are here!
I have made MANY mistakes in my life, and these have taught me way more than my successes have.
Liked this post. As someone who blogs about communication and relationships, i feel strongly about this subject. Failure is generally not accepted these days and this has many negative implications on people. I hope that people who fail will not be judged by their failures but by their efforts, creativity as well as their determination.
Thank you NZ and Wenbin! Wenbin, I was on your blog just now and I really enjoyed it.
Thanks for the pratical ideas.
Failure will make us aware of our problems which eventually make us proceed towards our goal.
BE BRAVE IN FACING FAILURES!
Thank you Calvin, Ben’s a great writer isn’t he? I think he’s awesome.
I’m 1st time in this place and i really like it, urbanmonk is great blog ! it suit me well !
Very nicely written
Took me a lot of time to read it all
Looking for more posts of this kind
I totally agree. Failure is the best lesson toward success. I learn much more in my failures than from books or others’ experience. The personal experience allows me to look at each failure from many angles and learn from my mistake. When you try to learn from books or other’s experience, you may not have the in depth details see the situations clearly from multiple angles.
Great post!
This really resounded with me, particuarly the part about preparing for failure. This might sound pessimistic to some, but I get it!
Expect the best, prepare for the worst.
Thanks for your good work
Gus
The Possibility Hunter
http://www.possibilityvirus.com
There is no way to success. success is the way.——Doug Rosbury
To call a situation a failure is to make an unnessesary judgement.
Call it a success that you made a valuable mistake. Errors instruct
you in what to do next. They are the voice of spirit. Why call that a failure?——Doug
I agree with you ..
Failure is the path and steps to successful ..
Without failure, you’kll learn nothing
I have failed many times in ACCA exam. I really think to give up it,since I may chioced a wrong although I have achieved ACCA level 1. 2 years passed,but I didn’t pass any of papers in ACCA level 2. I’m working and studying. I give up higher salary, and take a lower salary job to reduce my work pressure,and concentrate on ACCA study, however,it doesn’t work to me. I failed again.
So failure is not success to me.
Sunny, It should come as no surprise that you are in a failing mode. Your english is abominable. The language you use
affects the way you think and this affects every subject you
try to master. Study english first, then the other subjects will be much easier. Good Luck,Doug
Failure is inevitable. But if you
let failure control your feelings,
Your feelings will give permission to the universe to keep
sending you experiences of failure
and failure will continue to be the rule rather than the exception. By all means, love failure with all your heart
and it will be satisfied and go away.—Doug
Failure is a product of your own thinking. Change how you think and
quit creating failure. Rather,learn to expect success and
it will be attracted to you.–Doug
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