Learning from failure provides an opportunity for growth and success. It has been said that failure is not fatal. It’s an important step on the road to achievement. Statesman, author and philosopher Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”
Consider that highly acclaimed, brillant nuclear physicist and modern day genius Albert Einstein wasn’t able to speak until he was almost 4-years-old and his teachers said he would never amount to much.
Then there was legendary master builder Walt Disney who was fired from a newspaper for “lacking imagination” and “having no original ideas.”
Oprah Winfrey was demoted from her job as a news anchor because she “wasn’t fit for television.
Music icons, The Beatles, were rejected by Decca Recording Studio when the studio’s CEO said, “We don’t like their sound… they have absolutely no future in show business.”
Then, of course, there was super star Michael Jordan. After being cut from his high school basketball team, he went home, locked himself in his room and cried. In his own words, “I accepted my need to cry but never accepted not trying…”
Oh yes, technological wizard and game changer, Steve Jobs, at 30-years old, was left devastated after being unceremoniously removed from the company he started (Apple).
During a Harvard commencement speech, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling outlined the importance and value of failure.
Why? Simply because she was once a failure too. A few short years after her graduation from college, her worst nightmares were realized. In her words,
“I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. The fears that my parents had had for me, and that I had had for myself, had both come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.”
Going back to Sir Winston Churchill, he profoundly said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going. After all, winners never quit and quitters never win.”
The formula for turning failure into success isn’t complicated. It does require commitment, focus and perseverence. First, accept the reality of your failure as well as the responsibility for it. It’s not the time for self-pity. It is, in fact, the time for coming to grip with the reality of the situation.
Secondly, don’t dwell on it. Feeling disappointed is normal. Don’t get stuck in the emotion of the event. Move on briskly, positively and energetically.
Avoid blaming others. It’s your failure. It’s your life. Own it all. This step is vital for your making a “comeback.” After all, isn’t life nothing more but a series of comebacks?
Separate the details of your failure and performance (or lack of same) from your own personal self-worth. Single failures don’t define your life’s value.
Logically, pragmatically and energetically define the “why” of your failure. Was it a lack of education or preparation? Was it a misguided strategy or approach? Was it caused by an uncontrollable external factor? This is vital. Fully understanding the “why” of your failure is a key to preventing a reoccurance.
Don’t look back. Move forward. Move ahead. Create a new plan. Create a new strategy. Try new methods, strategies, techniques. Change your approach.
Focus on those things you can control. It’s now time to analyze (again) your strengths and assets. It’s now time to celebrate your uniqueness. To move forward, don’t be afraid to ask others around you for input, insight, ideas, information, coaching, help and mentoring. Life and business are team sports.
Let’s take a quick look at an amazing “comeback story” from the world of big business. IBM has been around for more than 100-years and the company firmly established itself as a true global leader. They have been responsible for some game-changing inventions including the ATM, magnetic stripe cards and floppy disks. IBM is one of just a handful of companies that has managed to keep its spot on the Fortune 500 list for more than half a century. However, the 1990s were rather challenging for the company. In 1992, the company announced a loss of $5 billion – more than any other American company ever had at the time. They were failing miserably. This led to massive changes within the company, but they all came with a cost. As part of this change, Lou Gerstner was appointed as the new CEO to take the failing company forward. He fired close to 100,000 people, changed IBM’s marketing strategy and invested in both a software line and IT services. As of 2023, IBM is worth in the region of $250 billion. It’s obvious that after facing enormous failure, Gerstner and his colleagues enacted great changes and a repositioning that ultimately saved the company… and put them in a leadership position again… after huge shortfalls and failures.
Confucius said, “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.”
Remember, “A bend in the road is not the end of the road.”
Keep on keepin’ on!
Columnist and Acworth, GA. resident, Ira Blumenthal, is a business consultant, a best-selling author, a globally reknowned speaker, an educator and a youth Lacrosse coach. Learn more about Ira and his latest book, Your Best Is Next, at www.IraSpeak.com You can follow Ira on instagram @irajblumenthal
Ira’s latest book, The RUNDOWN; running life’s basepath, can be found on AMAZON.
