Failure

As things change in this dynamic world we’re forced to adapt. Well, what I really mean is that we’re all failures, right? At least some of the time, we’re failing. This is actually good, be happy about it. Give yourself a pat on the back after you just blew it.

Failure: A Step Toward Success (slogan)

We need to understand that there's an important underlying feature to our slogan, and that is, drum roll please… you must learn from the failure. That failure or many like it will build in your pursuit of exactly where you needed to be. Think of one of our examples in modern history, that of Thomas Edison. He's known for the creation of the light bulb, a masterpiece of success. You know that thing that blinds you when you flip the switch in the bathroom at midnight and it gives you the universal “lemon in my mouth before getting punched” response. He’s quoted as saying: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." You've simply got to keep prospective about you. It's imperative that you keep your enthusiasm after a failure; your enthusiasm will propel you. Winston Churchill said: "Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." Well put Winston.

Recognize that tomorrow will come whether you get out of bed or not. You have to keep your enthusiasm at the highest level you can, dust off, analyze, and go, go, go! Get up out of bed, rekindle what made you attempt a go in the beginning and then fail again if you have to. It's those who have failed and gotten back on the horse that have built empires and led revolutions. Are you a Revolutionary? When failure hits, and it will, remember that it's exactly what you needed to find success. Attempt, then learn and apply, repeat until you find exactly what you were looking for.

Building: One Brick at a Time

A difficulty in growth can be the response to not accomplishing goals. There is nothing to me more aggravating than when my goal set seems to be impossible to achieve and even more frustrating when it seems as though I don’t have control.

For the past few months we have been requiring our 3 year old daughter to clean her room before bed without the help of mommy or daddy. It usually takes about an hour longer as each toy needs full inspection and testing to insure quality control is up to OSHA specifications. Last night after 2 hours of intense labor and maybe a little distraction she had finally accomplished what seems to her as a monumental task. Every night after the exercise is completed and the room looks like an Ikea showroom floor she runs out of her room and yells: “Daddy, I did it come see!” My usual response is a little inflated with emotion but sincerely appreciative and excited. She usually runs in before me, jumps up on the bed and sits as a proud Indian chief viewing her vast expanse of cleanliness. I’m truly impressed as everything is in its place and might just be better than what I would have done had I been the soldier cleaning the toy strewn battlefield. She glows and is evidently proud of her brief responsibility in the world of true accomplishment.

When times are good and things are moving along the conveyer belt of life my focus had been on long term goals and the large and earth shattering accomplishments to be had under my personal earthly conquest. Then, when everything’s moving smoothly along there’s a shift, a blow of epic proportions, and I’m left having to rethink how I was going to accomplish the large impenetrable goals I had once espoused to be my own. At this moment I had realized as things were moving smoothly I neglected any short term, simple goals, these had all been replaced by ease of accomplishment and satisfaction. I found myself looking at what is right in front of me today and the entire focus had to shift to today and not the endless tomorrows. This is as my 3 year old is learning a process to be exercised daily for I need to feel accomplishment daily to build. Each accomplishment is a brick in the building of our success structure. The structure may be the end goal or the large endeavor but it can never be built without the feelings of the small accomplishments, or bricks in our goal structure. We must have accomplishment daily and be moving upward and not downward. I personally don’t believe there is ever a day in my life when I am on a plateau, I believe I am either moving up the mountain or down, the choice is inevitably mine.

Set the short term goals to build on. Gain control of your dreams and endeavors by focusing on the small accomplishments and not burdening your mind with the lack of large accomplishments as they will surely come through the small and simple things.