Do not fear failure…
Many people fail before they begin. Why? The answer is simple they fear failure!
The power of visualisation – As a sportsman if you were preparing for a game or a major race and you visualised yourself either losing or playing badly, then I guarantee you will lose or play badly.
On the other hand, if you visualise success, then although success is never guaranteed, the fact is you will certainly perform to your potential – and that is all you can do, and if you perform to your potential you will feel happy about your contribution hence this is real success.
If you perform to your potential and still fail, then so what, keep trying until you succeed but never, ever give up. It’s those who give up that are the real victims of failure. If you keep trying failure never wins, you win. You become invincible your motivation will be so high that nothing will be impossible and although you may have to try and try again until you finally achieve your goals. The fact that you no longer fear failure will almost certainly guarantee success.
Here’s a great story about one of the finest inventors in history Thomas Edison and his many attempts to create an electric light:
Edison had tried out 3000 different theories whilst working on the electric light and his quote is this:
I was never discouraged – but I cannot say the same for other people who were working with me
Thomas Edison didn’t know the meaning of failure and certainly wasn’t going to allow 3000 failures to stand between him and his ambition to create the electric light.
His breakthrough finally arrived when he decided to use a vacuum inside the bulb so that the filament didn’t burn out so quickly. The problem was finding the right filament. He and his assistants tried every imaginable substance. Barium, Rhodium, Ruthenium, Titanium, Platinum, Zirconium, Bamboo, Cotton, everything and anything – week in, week out for over a year.
All of this was taking place at Edison’s laboratory at Menlo Park in Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Finally during the night of the 21st of October through to the morning of the 22nd of October 1879 when he was just 32 years old, Edison and his team managed to seal a carbonised thread of cotton into a pear shaped bulb and pump out the air.
Edison turned on the current and the lamp glowed like sunshine in the dusk of early autumn. They waited for it to burn out quickly as had happened with all their previous attempts. However the bulb remain lit. They waited, hours passed, meal times came and went. All the workers at Menlo Park came and stared. Edison didn’t go home to sleep that night or the next night. The bulb burned for 45 hours non-stop. Yes, 45 hours – they’d cracked the problem and invented the electric light bulb.
There is an old saying, which is often banded around sales environments –
Persistence overcomes resistance
In Edison’s case this certainly was true. Most people give up after 1 attempt, never mind 3000 attempts.
There is nothing wrong with failing, because failing allows us to learn. The only wrong is allowing failure to deter you from ever trying again.
Things to do:
- Visualise yourself succeeding rather than failing
- If at first you don’t succeed, re-focus and try again – remember Edison – never give up!
- Start to believe in you. Strong beliefs will motivate you into action and you will move closer towards your goals
- the risk of failure can be reduced through preparation, planning and research, but ultimately you still have to try in practice if you want to turn your plans and dreams into reality
- Talk to people who’ve been there overcome failure to achieve their dreams – let them inspire you to do the same
- Read books about real life winners and achievers
- Start to record your successes
- Start to think positively about everything you do – banish those negative demons that will prevent you from trying.
- A dream is just a goal that can possibly come true if you really focus on making it become reality
- If you fail at something, just make sure you’ve learnt enough to ensure that the next time you try you will succeed and not fail at that same stage of the process. Sooner or later by eliminating all those things that don’t work you will find the formula for success.
Finally if you are sincere about achieving and being successful in your own right you will achieve. Your drive and focus will allow you to deal with whatever failures and challenges occur along your journey as you pursue your dreams.
Remember the Wizard of OZ. There were many challenges along the yellow brick road, but eventually the lion, the tin man, the scarecrow and Dorothy herself all fulfilled their dreams. They overcame their own personal challenges and continued along the road, irrespective of the obvious dangers. They were focused and had real faith that they would eventually, despite the risks, overcome their fears and realise their dreams
Go follow your yellow brick road.
