How to Fail at Everything
Failure sure has a bad reputation doesn’t it? No one wants to fail anymore! It’s like it’s out of style or something.
I don’t mind failing. Maybe it’s because I’m so good at it! I’ve failed at more things than many people have ever failed at so I think it makes me qualified to write on this subject.
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- My first band never got a single gig, in fact we sounded like crap.
- I started a business when I was 16. I barely broke even for four years then shut it down out of frustration.
- Wanted to be a movie maker so I made a movie. Only sold a few hundred copies because it wasn’t really that good.
- Ran a church media site for years that slowly turned into nothing.
- Started a web design company, my partner was arrested for murder.
- Written a ton of songs and most of them stink.
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My list could go on and on. I’ve failed at a lot of things…and I’m proud of it!
[quote]I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying. ~ Michael Jordan[/quote]
In my opinion failure equals taking action. Many people these days are so afraid of failure that they never take action on anything! They just do “safe” things and never take any risks.
They just sit back and wish that they could be successful in their life but they never are willing to take any risks. Nothing great was ever accomplished in life without taking risks. When you take risks failure is inevitable!!!
Don’t be surprised when you fail! Expect it! Is that negative? Not at all! Because when you fail you can learn something valuable. You become better, more skilled, and wiser.
[quote]Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. ~ Thomas Edison[/quote]
Trying New Things.
When you try something new you will surely make mistakes, but that’s OK. That is how you get better at it. People that are afraid of trying new things are really just being afraid of failing.
Sure you can just keep doing the same old things in life, but don’t expect to grow. Many people want to live a more successful and fulfilling life, but they won’t ever go out and try anything new. It’s like the old saying:
[quote]If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got[/quote]
Taking a risk.
Success rarely comes from doing something that is safe. Taking a risk requires courage and there is a good chance that you will fail, but there is an even better chance that you will come out stronger and smarter than before!
I dare say that there isn’t a successful person on the face of the earth that never took a risk. The most successful people are usually the ones that took the biggest risks. They bet the farm. The risked losing it all to gain something better.
Let me be clear. I am not encouraging you to buy a one-way ticket to Vegas and drop your money on silly games designed to take your money away! No! I am speaking of taking a risk to accomplish great things in your life! Stepping out in faith to do something that you feel called to do.
Get Back Up
Everyone fails. Well at least everyone that chases greatness fails. That does not make you a FAILURE! A failure is someone who gets knocked down and stays down. They tuck their tail between their legs and whimper away never to take a risk again. They listen to the naysayers who claim that they knew it would never work to begin with. They stay down! THAT IS A FAILURE!
Listening to advice can be good at times, but at some point in your life you need to be willing to walk out in faith on your own. Maybe everyone else thinks you’re a few nuts short of a fruitcake, but YOU know that you are called to something bigger, greater and more fulfilling than they can ever understand.
Pick yourself up, brush yourself off and push forward like you’ve never pushed before. Don’t let people drag you down. Move forward and don’t let anything stand in your way.
Learn Something
When you fail do not let that failure go to waste! Learn something from it! How you can you come out smarter and stronger on the other side of this mishap? No one is a master at something the first time they try.
When Edison was working on creating the first [commercially viable] incandescent light bulb he tried and failed thousands of times to find the perfect filament. What would have happened if he did not learn from his mistakes or he gave up? We’d probably sitting in the dark right now. Or at the very least we would probably be using DC current rather than AC.
Don’t Live in Fear
Don’t let the fear of failure hold you back from doing what God has called you to do in your life. You are better than that! God hasn’t give you fear, he gave you POWER! He will help you overcome the obstacles that you may face, just trust him. Take risks. Do new things. And if you fail…get back up and keep moving forward!
“Trying new things” is my favorite in your list! Even driving a new way to work or to the store opens my eyes and the possibilities around me. Thanks for the encouragement to be bold!