Failure
is Not a Mistake
Failure
can lead exceptional people forward to greatness.
Not learning how to fail well can be a big mistake.
But
how do we learn how to fail so it carries us forward,
rather than holding us back?
See
below for your free bonus resources.
Failing
Forward
by
John C. Maxwell
What are you afraid of as a leader? On
the top of many people's list is failure. Is it
on your list too?
J.M.
Barrie said, "We are all failures--at least,
all the best of us are."
In
my 30-plus years of leadership experience, I've
come to the conclusion that one of the most valuable
but underestimated abilities that leaders can
posses is the ability to do what I call "failing
forward." It's more than having a good attitude
about your mistakes, and it's a step beyond simply
taking risks.
Failing
forward is the ability to get back up after you've
been knocked down, learn from your mistake, and
move forward in a better direction.
You
see, everybody makes mistakes. But the real difference
between average people and achieving people is
their PERCEPTION OF and RESPONSE TO failure. Nothing
else has the same kind of impact on people's ability
to accomplish their dreams.
What do you dream of accomplishing? Unfortunately,
no matter how gifted or knowledgeable you are,
you will make mistakes along the way to your dream.
Failure is the price you must pay on the road
to success. That's just how it works. But the
good news is that the better you are at failing
forward, the sooner you can accomplish your dreams.
Before you put away your list of resolutions for
this year, look at the following misconceptions
about failure. Take an honest inventory to determine
if your perception of failure is what it should
be. If you share any of these misconceptions,
add to your list the resolution to change the
way you think about failure.
PEOPLE
THINK FAILURE IS AVOIDABLE. IT'S NOT.
You've probably heard the saying, "To err
is human, to forgive divine." That was written
by Alexander Pope more than 250 years ago. And
he was only paraphrasing a saying that was common
2,000 years ago, during the time of the Romans.
Things today are the same as they were then: People
make mistakes.
Don't
buy into the notion that mistakes can somehow
be avoided. They can't be. Accept that you will
err because you're human, but don't let that keep
you from pursuing your dreams.
EOPLE
THINK FAILURE IS AN EVENT. IT'S NOT.
Think about your school days. If you or someone
you knew received an F on a test, the tendency
was to think that you failed at that moment. However,
that's not the case. The F shows that the test
taker neglected the process leading up to the
test and the result was a poor score. The truth
is that you don't receive F's for failing a test,
but for failing to prepare for a test.
Failure
is just like success - it's a day-to-day process,
not someplace you arrive one day. Failure is not
a one time event, it's how you deal with life
along the way. Yes, you will make mistakes, but
you can't conclude that you're a failure until
you breathe your last breath. Until then, you're
still in the process, and there is still time
to turn things around for the better.
PEOPLE
THINK FAILURE IS OBJECTIVE. IT'S NOT.
When you forget a meeting, miss a deadline, damage
a relationship, or make a poor choice concerning
your children, what determines whether that action
was a failure? Is it the size of the problem it
creates, the amount of money your company loses,
or how much criticism you have to endure? No.
The truth is that only you are the only person
who can label what you do a failure. Failure is
subjective. Your perception of and response to
your mistakes determine whether they are failures.
According to Tulane University business professor
Lisa Amos, entrepreneurs fail in an average of
3.8 business ventures before they finally make
it. They aren't deterred by mistakes or adversity
because they don't see setbacks as failures. They
recognize that three steps forward and two steps
back still equals one step forward. Determine
to see your mistakes as merely temporary lapses,
and start using them as stepping stones to success.
PEOPLE
THINK FAILURE IS THE ENEMY. IT'S NOT.
Most people try to avoid failure like the plague.
They're afraid of it. But it takes adversity to
create success. NBA coach Rick Pitino says, "Failure
is good. It's fertilizer. Everything I've learned
about coaching I've learned from making mistakes."
If you desire to be a high achiever you can't
see mistakes as the enemy. Musicologist Eloise
Ristad emphasizes that, "when we give ourselves
permission to fail, we at the same time give ourselves
permission to excel." She's right. Begin
to perceive mistakes as opportunities rather than
opponents.
PEOPLE
THINK FAILURE IS IRREVERSIBLE. IT'S NOT.
There's
an old saying in Texas that goes: "It doesn't
matter how much milk you spill as long as you
don't lose your cow." In other words, mistakes
are not irreversible. The problems come when you
see only the "spilled milk" and not
the bigger picture.
Tom Peters wisely acknowledged, "If silly
things were not done, intelligent things would
never happen." When you make a mistake, keep
things in perspective. Understand that on the
heels of every mistake is a valuable lesson and
another opportunity to improve.
Washington
Irving once noted, "Great minds have purposes;
others have wishes. Little minds are subdued by
misfortunes; but great minds rise above them."
If you tend to focus on the extremes of mistakes
and fixate on particular events in your life,
make a resolution to gain a new perspective on
failure. See errors and negative experiences as
a regular part of life and determine to learn
and grow from them.
If
you can do that well, you may find that your dreams
are much closer than you think.
About
the author: This article by John C. Maxwell
provided by ChristianBusinessDaily.com -- The
Online Network for Christians in Business. Your
source for news, articles, and commentary from
a biblical perspective.
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