I like it when successful people talk about their failures.
- Take, for example, when another writer shares how many times their manuscript was rejected before they landed a contract. (The Help by Kathryn Stockett was rejected 60 times.)
- Or when a pro athlete shares his struggles. (6’7″ NBA pro Paul Pierce was cut from the varsity team in high school because he was a pudgy 5’8″.)
- What about director Steven Spielberg of Star Wars fame? He was rejected twice by the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts.
- Walt Disney, the founder of “the happiest place on earth,” was once told he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”
- And Albert Einstein struggled in university and almost dropped out. Imagine that — Einstein, who developed the theory of relativity, almost dropped out of school.
Sometimes we look at someone else and all we see is their success. But behind every successful person is failure.
We like to forget that, but the truth is, we fail forward to success — if we choose to keep learning from our missteps, our mistakes, or missed opportunities.
I’ll close today with another quote, courtesy of Thomas Edison when he was talking about inventing the light bulb:
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
In Your Words: How have you “failed forward”?
In Others' Words: Fail Forward http://bit.ly/2xmwjkd #quotes #success Click To Tweet 'One fails forward toward success.' http://bit.ly/2xmwjkd Quote by Charles Kettering #failure #success Click To Tweet
Comments 5
I’m a worldly failure, but there is no shame in that; there is a Japanese expression, ‘ganbatte’, that roughly translates as ‘please continue to do your best’.
Success is optional; doing one’s best is not.
I have done my best, and will stand with honour intact amidst the ruins of my dreams.
Author
Andrew:
I don’t see you standing in the ruins of your dreams, my friend. I see you taking those ruins and fashioning new dreams. I see you persevering. And continuing to care for others in need. And that is honorable, indeed.
Lovely inspiration, Beth!
I’m failing forward toward publication. I don’t know how fast or slow this journey will be, but I’m doing my part and working hard on a story I think can kickstart something beautiful.
Author
Andrea: Cheering you on to success! 🙂
Thank you, Beth!