How daunting of a word that can be – fail. Yet, it’s true power resides in the fact that we must fail in order to succeed.
Diamonds are made through intense pressure.
Olives must be pressed to make oil.
Michael Jordan missed more than 9,000 shots and lost almost 300 games, and he missed the game winning shot 26 times.
Albert Einstein didn’t speak until age 4, could not speak fluently until age 9, and failed the exam for entrance to Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich.
Abraham Lincoln had a failed business in 1831, nervous breakdown in 1836, and defeated in bid to be president in 1856.
Walt Disney was fired from a Missouri newspaper for “not being creative enough”.
J.K Rowling became jobless, divorced, and a solo parent in early stages of her life.
Thomas Edison failed at creating the light bulb approximately 2,774 times according to his own records.
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
Thomas A. Edison
There are countless other stories. In fact, if you know of a person that you deem successful, you will find stories of how they failed. In those stories is the truth of how they became successful. Success is made through failure.
Do not judge me by my successes; judge me how many times I fell down and got back up again.
Nelson Mandela
So, we need to start looking at failure differently. If you are currently in a “failing” or losing streak, maybe it’s time to realize you are only getting closer to success. You must miss the shots to learn how to make them. You must make the failed invention to learn how to make the functional one. You must write the uninspiring stories to learn what inspires.
Failure is the doorway to success.
Hard work is the act of working through failure to achieve success. That’s what makes it hard, but also what makes it successful.
So, look around you. Have you struggled? Has it been difficult?
Good. Maybe now you are finally close enough to succeed. Get up. Keep going.
