Failure is … and is not …

There are quotes all over the place about success and failure. If you Google it, you will find multiple quotes attributed to Henry Ford, Vince Lombardi, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Buddha, and others. They have one or more of the following themes:

• Failure is not deadly

• Failure is not final.

• Failure is essential to success.

• Failure is essential to learning.

I have rarely completed something new that I had never tried before successfully on the very first try. The one exception was when I was eight and won a contest judging cattle in a 4-H event, but that was a one-time thing and most likely a fluke. As I think about that particular event, one thing comes to mind. I learned nothing from the experience. I participated in numerous similar events, thinking I was somehow a judging prodigy, but I never won again.

As a case manager and coach, I will always ask, “What is the worst that can happen if you …?” Always be prepared for it. If you answer with “I will fail,” I will likely respond with, “Good!” because that is how you learn. In my post “Three Steps Forward and Two Steps Back,” I discuss moving forward as a progression of successes and failures.

The movie Apollo 13 normalized the quote, “Failure is not an option.” When I worked in corporate America and was discussing marketing plans or development projects, this “failure is not an option” seemed to follow me at every turn. Always remember that the Apollo 13 incident was isolated. Failure is always an option unless your project involves brain surgery, bringing a multi-million-dollar vehicle from space to a safe landing on Earth, or something equally intricate and potentially deadly. Failure may also be the only option. We can only truly celebrate our successes when we have learned from our failures.