You show me a successful person and I’ll show you someone who’s failed a lot.
You show me someone who’s never failed and I’ll show you a failure
Aren’t the best stories the ones that deal with massive failure? The stories where the hero has to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles and setbacks?
Why is it we tend to be fascinated by the struggle, by the journey? Why is it we sometimes feel the final victory isn’t as sweet as the struggle? The final victory is a letdown.
Could it be that all the excitement, joy, fun, adventure of life is contained in the struggle? Could it be that fear, pain, wounds, hurt, and suffering is how you develop mental toughness? Could it be that without struggles, life becomes way too boring? Could it be that adventure and risk taking are good for your overall psychological and physical health? Could it be that failures and struggles are the best medicine for building life coping muscle mass, survival skills, physiological staying power?
Well, it looks like we’ve discovered the “failure bonus.” If you want excitement and adventure, then take on projects where you risk failures along the way. When the failures come, welcome them. Enjoy them. Take them on with courage. Think about how much knowledge, how much wisdom and how much strength you’ll gain from the experience. Think about how you’ll become a better person by facing and tackling setbacks, struggles and failures. Think of the great stories you’ll be able to tell when you’re old!
What’s your attitude towards failure?
Your attitude towards failure is probably the biggest reason for your success – or lack of it – in life.
Don’t take it from me. Take it from one of the richest men in the world. You see, I watched this guy on television many years ago and he gave me a new way of looking at failure.
When discussing failure, he seemed unafraid, unconcerned, unworried. He seemed at ease. The interviewer couldn’t shake him. He was solid, confident.
This was new territory for me, a new way of thinking.
You see, the world I lived in was teaching me differently. It was teaching me to avoid failure at all costs. I lived in a world where the mantra was, “Don’t make any mistakes!” I lived in a world where people handed out phrases like, “Don’t screw it up!” And, they handed them out frequently and generously!
But, as I sat mesmerized by this old man, I caught a glimpse of another way of life, another way of living. He viewed the world from a different perspective. He seemed to be filled with a sense of wonder, a sense of adventure, a calm sense of deep confidence.
So, now I’d like to share that story with you, the interview that changed my idea of failure. I highly recommend you adopt this man’s view of failure. I’m still working on it. You see, old habits – old ways of thinking – die hard!
The story continues in my book “Working my BUT Off! Reflections of a Property Investor“
