Failure

This blog is the first part of the three part series where I am exploring some concepts that continually seem to be at the forefront of my mind. It seems that the idea of failure, vulnerability, and iteration are concepts and ideas that come up in the books that I am reading or when I am listening to various podcasts. I see these three themes connected to each other. So I am trying something new with my blog - a three part series.

Part One - Failure

I have been fascinated with the idea of failure and how people respond to failure and why some people can move forward while others get stuck. I am drawn to the stories of people who overcome disastrous failures and end up achieving great success. Perhaps I envy their ability to not get overwhelmed by their failure and instead they seem to allow that failure to drive them towards their success.

Merriam-Webster defines failure as a lack of success or falling short. These words can haunt you for a long time. They can be soul crushing especially when you pour everything into that idea or project. We too often shy away from moving forward or making another attempt. We shut down, yet there are others that walk away from failure seemingly unscathed. Why is that?

Despite having potentially catastrophic starts to their careers and ambitions these famous people demonstrated overcoming likely career altering setbacks.

• James Dyson  needed over 5,000 prototypes and 15 years to perfect the Dyson vacuum. 

• Dr. Suess had his first book rejected by 27 different publishers.

• Harrison Ford was told, after a small role in his first movie, that he'd never succeed in the movie business.

• Herb Brooks was the last player cut from the 1960 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, 20 years later he was the coach for the "Miracle on Ice Team" that won the 1980 Gold Medal. 

• Oprah Winfrey was fired as an anchor in Baltimore for getting "too emotionally invested in her stories".

• Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.

• In 1954 the stage manager of the Grand Ole Opry fired Elvis after one performance and told him "You ain't going nowhere, son. You ought to go back to driving a truck"

It can be easy to take a look at this brief list of famous people and think those are great stories. I sometimes do this as well. I don't always see how these examples relate to me. These are famous people who had greatness in them that was undiscovered, or at least that is what I think at times. However, these are real people, like you and me, and we can learn from them.

John Maxwell states that "the first important step in weathering failure is learning not to personalize it". Well for me that continues to be a lesson that I need to learn. It is so hard not to personalize failure when I care so much or give everything I have and come up short. Carol Dweck adds "...failure can be a painful experience. But it doesn't define you." That is powerful. What both Maxwell and Dweck are saying is that you are not a failure just because you have experienced failure. That seems to be the distinction and one that James Dyson, Dr. Suess, Harrison Ford, Herb Brooks, Oprah Winfrey, Walt Disney, Elvis Presley, and many others have made in order to learn and move on from their initial failures.

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed" -Michael Jordan

One of the greatest, if not the greatest basketball player of all time, recognizes the distinction between failing and being a failure. This lesson of knowing and believing that there is a difference between failing and being a failure is so important for me. And I believe it is just as important for our students,

Stay tuned for part 2 - Vulnerability