Why You Should Love Failure

People are too worried about failures and so excited about the success. Why you worry so much about your failures?. Why should you give up when success is continuously absent from your life?. No, you need not quit. I have a different opinion on failure and that exactly reasons the decision of commencing this article with the most fearful or hatred word ‘failure’. To motivate people, often during my speeches and write-ups, I have added a famous saying ‘Winners never quit and quitters never win!’. I am sorry that I don’t know who coined this famous sentence. But I salute him (or her) for this sharp observation on the bridge between success and failure.

To sum up all my thoughts on failure in a single sentence, I must say ‘failure is the highway to success’. Not clear yet?. Then, hear the words of Tom Watson Sr. of IBM, “if you want to succeed, double your failure rate.” Even in the dictionary also you will find ‘success’ only after ‘failure’.

Even after his death many years ago, Thomas Alva Edison still considered being one of the most intelligent scientists in the world. When his 10,000 attempts failed to invent the bulb, he did not give up. He first made a declaration, which became very famous later. He said, ‘I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work!’. What a fine thought!

The key point on this topic is that if you want success, you need to suffer failures too. Failure is not a defeat, it is a delay only. This view was well endorsed by Denis Waitley. He observed: Failure is a delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead-end.

The other day I read yet another observation made in favor of failure in the words of George S Patton. He said, ‘I don’t fear failure, I only fear the slowing up of the engine inside of me which is pounding saying “keep on going, someone must be on top, why not you?”

I love success. Everyone loves it. But I love failures as well. What about you?. I think after reading this article, you too may endorse my views on failure. Don’t you? Anyhow, one thing is clear that by now there may be some shake on your firm thoughts on failure. I foresee your aversion or allergy to failure is slowly melting down. Now you love failure so as to woo success. Your past failure is going to help you succeed. Yes, failure is the highway to success!

The Action Plan

Success – Success is not measured by our position in life but by the obstacles we overcame to get there-Anonymous

Fine, you have mastered a great thought that Failure is the Highway to Success! Congrats!! To climb on the victory stand, you need to overcome a few more hurdles. Haven’t you heard a famous quote that “most people fail not because of lack of ability or intelligence but because of lack of desire, direction, dedication and discipline”? Now you are a changed person. You have the desire, direction, dedication and discipline. What remains to do is a small drill.

Be confident and cheerful. Write down your resolution or strategies (whatever it may be) for the new year in your new diary or in a big notebook. Prioritize your dreams and action plans accordingly. Note down everything in your diary in bulletin format. You can tick up your achievements step by step (that’s why I asked you follow bulletin format) later by December end, next year. The more the tick marks on the paper, the more the happier you will be. Try to achieve at least a success rate of 80%.

And for the failure or for the remaining 20%, just console yourself saying aloud the famous saying of Bovee, ‘A failure only establishes this, that our determination to succeed was not strong enough’. From your hard and honest experience, I am hopeful that you will be knowledgeable enough to convert the remaining 20% too to your success story. After all, nothing is impossible! The pessimist in you may again argue then what if I fail again in spite of my best efforts to succeed in life?

Be cool. To this question, Elbert Hubbard answers thus: A failure is a man who has blundered, and is not able to cash in on the experience.

If an intelligent person like Thomas Alva Edison can fail 10,000 times, why can’t we, the ordinary guys? Never worry on failures. You don’t when you read the lines of Mary Kash- People fail forward to success!

+++For the illustration of my points clearly, I have used some famous quotes in this article, made by some famous personalities as well by some anonymous. Due credit has been given to all these known and unknown personalities.++++.

PS: I will highly appreciate your frank comments on my story on ‘failure’. It will be my pleasure to know how this article touched you. Please leave your comments on the COMMENTS column below.