Failure is an Integral Part of Success

Apr 24, 2008

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.

Horses on the path

Practical Ideas

Here are some practical ideas for dealing with failure:

Don’t see it as the end. This failure is just an obstacle to get round on the route to your ultimate goal. This might be the first stumble on your road to success, it might even be the hundredth but what is important to remember is that getting through it will only bring you closer to your goal. It is important that you view the failure as a problem to be solved rather than the end of the world.
Think things through. If you run head long into any problem you bound to either make the same mistake again or create new problems. You need to be able to think correctly under pressure (T.C.U.P) in order to solve this problem and get over this failure and that comes from not rushing in but instead thinking it through.

Try to work out what has caused the failure. Was it something you or someone else did? Was your attempt at success just at the wrong time in the wrong place? Were there circumstances out of your control?
What options do you now have? Can you try the same thing again or do you need to try to approach the problem from a different angle? Do you need extra help and resources?

Don’t be afraid. It is important that you don’t fear to try again, if you do you are likely to not put your full self into your effort, making it harder to get to your ultimate success.
Plan for failure. I’m a big believer in the Law of Attraction. The idea that thinking and doing positive things brings about positive things in your life, while negative thoughts and actions only bring about negativity in your life seems to really fit with me personally. I also think it is crucial, though, that you plan for failure and in a way expect it along your journey to success. Now I’m not saying that thoughts of failure should fill your mind rather that you should reflect positively upon it and see it as an inevitable learning experience. Having a backup plan for when things go wrong is not a bad thing, it is just sensible.
Finally, learn from it. Successful people are always learning and so should you. People tend to only learn for what goes well in their lives, dwelling only on the positive, but really you should try to learn something from every eventuality whether good or bad. If you do this you not only get closer to achieving your success but also expanding your comfort zones. You will also find it easier to handle future failures.

A Simple Illustration

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 by Maxwell Maltz. When you are in a dark room and you are searching for the light switch you start groping around to find it. To start with, maybe you are looking at the wrong part of the wall so you readjust because you have learnt the light switch isn’t where you thought it was. Next, you find that you are groping around too low, so again you readjust. You are now narrowing your focus (in the dark) to allow you to reach your goal.

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?

The Sense of Achievement

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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41 Comments , Comment or Ping

Karl Staib - Your Work Happiness Matters

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.

Apr 24th, 2008
MrAchievement.com (Stanley Bronstein)

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

Apr 24th, 2008
Tim Brownson

Change the word failure to feedback, it changes the whole perspective.

Apr 24th, 2008
Andrea Hess|Empowered Soul

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

Apr 25th, 2008
kirsten - circe's kitchen

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.

Apr 25th, 2008
char

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.

Apr 25th, 2008
Albert

Thank you everyone! I’m sure Ben will be elated to read your comments. Yes, it is a great article, isn’t it?

Apr 25th, 2008
Ben

Hi everyone

Thank you to you all for your lovely comments. I am very grateful

Cheers Albert you’re the man

Apr 25th, 2008
David | beplayful

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.

Apr 25th, 2008
Ugg

I read somewhere: I man who never fails, Never do anything worthwhile

Apr 27th, 2008
Liara Covert

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.

Apr 27th, 2008
Robert A. Henru

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

Apr 27th, 2008
Albert

I really appreciate all your comments guys! It was my pleasure to feature Ben, he’s a great guy and an equally good writer.

Apr 27th, 2008
Jimmy Buffett

Failure is indeed important for success. I have seen people doing nothing in fear of being failed.

Apr 27th, 2008
adfgvx

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.

Apr 29th, 2008
zenator.com

I completely agree. Thanks so much for the profound wisdom….

Apr 29th, 2008
Jordan Cheng

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

Apr 29th, 2008
Albert

Thank you for your additional insights and comments guys. Each comment here is always appreciated

Apr 29th, 2008
pontifex

Every instance of failure is indeed a form of education. At least that’s how I treat them!

Apr 30th, 2008
Greg Roy

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!

Apr 30th, 2008
Gree L

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…

Apr 30th, 2008
Albert

Thank you guys and gals, I’m really excited by how well this article has been received.

Apr 30th, 2008
Cory

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

May 1st, 2008
Den

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.

May 1st, 2008
Albert

Thank you Den and Cory - I’m really grateful you are here!

May 2nd, 2008
new zealand accommodation

I have made MANY mistakes in my life, and these have taught me way more than my successes have.

May 4th, 2008
Wenbin

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.

May 11th, 2008
Albert

Thank you NZ and Wenbin! Wenbin, I was on your blog just now and I really enjoyed it.

May 11th, 2008
Calvin

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!

May 11th, 2008
Albert

Thank you Calvin, Ben’s a great writer isn’t he? I think he’s awesome.

May 12th, 2008
odszkodowania

I’m 1st time in this place and i really like it, urbanmonk is great blog ! it suit me well !

May 12th, 2008
Rasterbator

Very nicely written
Took me a lot of time to read it all
Looking for more posts of this kind

May 13th, 2008
MyHomeTomorrow.com

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.

May 22nd, 2008
gus

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

Sep 4th, 2008
Doug Rosbury

There is no way to success. success is the way.——Doug Rosbury

Oct 14th, 2008
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

Nov 14th, 2008