As an educator, I have been thinking about students as they take their final exams, knowing that some will pass and some will fail. It made me take a long look at the word failure and the perceptions we have of that word. I find it interesting that we often view people or ourselves as failures. You don't have to think very long or very hard to realize that nobody ever became a success without failing.

I took the time to look up some definitions of failure. I find them quite interesting. Let's take a look:

1. The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends: the failure of an experiment.

I see no where in this definition anything derogatory or degrading. In fact I see just the opposite. An experiment that didn't work, but at least someone experiemented. You have to think about what Thomas Edison said. "I didn't fail. I just learned 10,000 ways not to build a light bulb" (paraphrased) If you look at his statement, I guess he would have been a failure had he not learned. He could have quit at 9,999 and left us in the dark but he didn't. Edison also said that one is a failure only if he gives up.

2. Nonperformance of what is requested or expected

I guess Michael Jordan fits this definition. He says, "I've missed over 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I have been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed." Man, I wish I could fail as well as Michael Jordan. I might have a line of underwear named after me.

Why are people afraid of failure? Failure is not only a part of life, it is essential to life. Failure is not the end of anything, it is merely a tap on the shoulder saying "you need to try something else". Henry Ford said it best. "Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently. You can't learn if you do not fail."

One of my favorite people in history is Winston Churchill. I love this quote of his. "Success is going from failure to failure without ever losing your enthusiasm." No matter how often or how badly a person fails, they will only become a failure if they fail to get back up and try again. Your only measure of success is when you get up one more time than you have failed.

Almost every successful person in our history not only experienced failure but experienced it multiple times. Abraham Lincoln had a nervous breakdown in 1833, was defeated in 1838, 1848, and was even rejected as a land officer in 1849. In 1854 he was defeated for Senate. In 1856 he lost the nomination for Vice President and was defeated in his run for the Senate again in 1858. Yet, in 1860, he was elected President of the United States and would prove to be one of history's greatest Presidents. Albert Einstein failed several courses in Math and Grammar. Henry Ford was flat broke when he was 40 years old. Thomas Edison's school teachers called hiim a dunce. Walt Disney declared bankruptcy several times and had numerous nervous breakdowns before he hit upon Disneyland. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, inventors of Apple Computers both failed and dropped out of college. to pursue a hairbrained idea no one believed in. It is not failure that is the curse. It is the fear of failure that causes people to quit or not to try. Don't fear failure - embrace it for what it is, a learning experience.

I have lived a life of failing forward. I would have had no successes without failures. I view people who say they have never failed as either liars or failures at life because they obviously never stuck their neck out and tried. I truly believe that no one can live life to its fullest potential until they push themself to the point of failure. Experience is gained through failure. Wisdom is gained through experience. Success and failure are the opposite side of the same coin. You can't have one without the other.

So, I guess if any students read this and you failed Comp 1, History, College Algebra etc. you might read this to your parents and see if they buy it...but don't count on it.

Thanks for indulging me. DrJim