Failing

Failing is something that you should get good at doing.

Do I have your attention yet? I hope so!! Getting good at failing seems so counter-intuitive to us. I suppose we all learned to avoid failure at all costs during grade school. Failing at something meant a big, fat, hairy "F" on our report card. This "F" on your report card will lead you down a path of devastation in all areas of your life . . . not to mention stay on your permanent record! F's are unacceptable and to be avoided at all costs.

"A's" are the sweet spot. An "A" means that you followed directions, colored between the lines, turned it in on time, and didn't make the teacher or the other kids feel stupid or uncomfortable with your questions. You did what you were told and when you were told to do it and you were rewarded with wonderful "A".

Go back a little further in your life to when you were crawling and scooting around on your poop-filled diaper. Getting tired of cooling poop mushing into various cracks of your anatomy, you decide it much better to walk than to scoot. So up you go. And just as quickly, down you go! Did you think, "I better stop before someone gives me an F." Or did your parents say, "Poor fella', I guess he's not a natural walker. I better pick him up so he doesn't try that again. Falling again will hurt his self-esteem!" Not bloody likely!

No, you stood up again. You may have changed your approach; leaning on a coffee table, pulling on a curtain, or holding a parent's finger. But you did it again and again and again and again, until finally, you were standing.

Standing is great, but walking . . . . walking is where fun really begins. So off you go! Walking around, then oops you fell! Walking/Falling - Walking/Falling.

Here's a question: "How long will a baby practice walking until they can go across the room?" ANSWER --> As long as it takes.

Another question to ask yourself, "When was my last failure?". If you can't answer that question quickly it is probably because you aren't trying hard enough. With each failure comes a great learning experience. You shouldn't just try something once and if it doesn't work out for you stop. No! You need to try something 4, 5, 6 times before you make the determination to quit and move to something else. Failing at something just one time teaches you virtually nothing.

Getting good at failing requires you to approach things with a different attitude. You never set out with the goal of failing, you set your sights on success. But knowing that failing is just a part of the process to success is key. So get good at failing. Find out all the nuggets of wisdom that you can draw from each failure. Retool your approach and try it again and again and again. Commit to doing this just like a baby, as long as it takes, and you will achieve success.