Why "Not Succeeding" and "Failing" are different

[David Oates]

The mid year brings with it an opportunity to take stock of New Year Resolutions to see where they stand. I guess it's natural to take a moment and reflect upon what's worked and what hasn't. For most of us, it's probably a mixed bag - some things exceeded our own expectations with others fell short.

 

That's perfectly okay though; if all the goals were tracking perfectly in my world I would question whether I was pushing myself hard enough. The reality is that new ventures and challenges always come with a risk of not succeeding. But that doesn't mean that the initiative wasn't worthwhile or won't ultimately support a significant achievement. The opposite is often true - what we learn from the things that don't go right the first time will lead to even greater success down the road.

 

I've often heard from entrepreneurs and business managers that "failure is not an option." I wholeheartedly agree, but most likely have a different definition of the term than they do. I look at the phrase more of a factor as to the level of effort and commitment that an individual puts forth. The true test of success isn't so much as to the outcome as it is for the perseverance and dedication that an organization and its team gives, particularly if things didn't initially pan out as expected.

 

Here's an example - it took Thomas Edison 3,000 attempts to create the light bulb. When asked about it years later, he stated "I didn't fail 3,000 times. I found 3,000 ways how not to create a light bulb."  I find Mr. Edison's logic profound, enlightening and liberating; it gives all of us permission to try new things without fearing that it won't go well. What's more, this mentality is embedded in the fabric of our society on so many levels. A Major League Baseball player who leads the league in batting, for instance, will hit somewhere around .350 during the year if he's lucky. That means that even though he's the best in the game at that moment, he still doesn't succeed in getting even so much as a bloop single more than two-thirds of the time he stands at home plate. Chances are, though, he'll learn the pitcher's delivery mechanics and other tell-tale signs that will generate a base hit sometime before the last out is recorded.

 

Failure has more to do with a person's heart than it does their skill level and achievements. I try to employ that philosophy in myself and my team; that we must learn from our mistakes to try not to repeat them, but we shouldn't dwell on not achieving our goals the first time out of the gate. Rather, we should pride ourselves in picking ourselves up, dusting ourselves off and getting back into the thick of things with a better understanding of what to do and how to do it. I guarantee, our success will come if we do just that.

 

"You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth." Rocky Balboa.