In Others’ Words: Taking a Closer Look at Failure

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, perseverance, Quotes 12 Comments

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I wish I’d had a better understanding of failure when I was younger.

I wished I’d known things like:

  • Failure happens — to everybody. Everybody. Not. Just. Me.
  • Failure may feel awful … like the end of the world … but most of the times, you wake up the next day and get a second chance at things. 
  • Failure does not define you. You are never a failure just because something you did failed. 
  • Failure makes you smarter … but only if you see it as an opportunity to learn something. 
  • Failure provides you with choices — to try again or to quit. Always try again.

I used to think failure was the worst thing that could happen. Now I realize failure happens. That’s the reality for everyone … and there’s freedom in accepting that truth. That doesn’t mean I don’t work as hard as I can to succeed — I do. But accepting the reality of failure allows me the chance to get over my mistakes and move on.

In Others’ Words: What helps you accept failure so that you can fall down but not stay down?

 

In Others' Words: Taking a Closer Look at Failure https://wp.me/p63waO-ep #quotes #failure Share on X ' ... What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down.' quote by Mary Pickford https://wp.me/p63waO-ep #failure #perspective Share on X

 

 

 

 

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Comments 12

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      1. By any reasonable calculus failure did define me; and that’s OK. Even though nearly everything to which I put my hand eventually ended in defeat or worse, it served as that Cautionary Tale.

        I could use sophistry to say that failure was really success, looked at in another way, but I’m not a fan of duality and equivalence. Let it be failure.

        Someone’s got to lose; I drew the short straw, and I’m not bitter, because it was showing up that counted.

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          Andrew: I’m going to fight you on this, my friend.
          You are reaping success out of your failure … out of your ongoing battle with cancer, which is costing you so, so much. But you are encouraging others. Showing others the way to persevere, to show up every day, no matter what the odds are against you.
          You keep adding to your short straw.

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  1. That’s a good quote, Beth, and also the distinction from Wise Guy. To me, falling down usually means I’m freshly reaquainted with my foundations, and that position often turns out to be like crouching in the starter blocks to take off in another Olympic Games sprint (or longer) with energy and purpose and a chance to medal.

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  2. Such a great quote and super thoughts! One of my boys dealt with a big-to-him failure last weekend. Not receiving something you expected to receive can be a hard thing to grapple with. But, failing is a part of life. I love the idea that failure is not falling down, but it’s staying down. We all grapple with failure, the question is, what will we do with it? The answer to this determines failure. Or not.

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  3. I think for me, the key is nothing is failure if I’ve learned from it…but that is my choice to choose to learn. But then, if I haven’t learned from whatever I failed at, then I’ve learned something about myself…that I don’t want to learn…so I’ve learned anyway. ; ) Unlike Andrew, I am a fan of duality. There is always an up side, a bright side, a God-,moment in which to learn.

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