FAILURE AND COURAGE

There's an old Japanese proverb that counsels: "Fall seven times, stand up eight."
But how do you get back up when you've fallen flat on your face? Below you'll find 5
tips to help you gather the pieces and pull yourself back together after you've
failed.
1. Always expect success. However, you need to get rid of the notion of the "overnight success" or the "get-rich-quick-scheme". People who appear to be overnight successes have actually spent a lot of time before-hand honing their skill. Success requires a lot of preparation and a prolonged effort. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who feel like failures when something doesn't work immediately and they just give up. If you don't succeed right away this doesn't mean that you've failed. Recognize that setbacks are simply part of the process, and that hard work and perseverance are two of the most important ingredients of success. If you've failed in the short run it simply means you need to take a longer term view of success.
2. Do not identify yourself with your failures. You are not your actions. To say that you have failed many times is not the same thing as saying that you are a failure. Whatever happens, keep referring to yourself, in your conversations with others and in your self-talk, as someone who has the full capacity to succeed.
3. Create a "fame wall". Hang your diplomas or certificates on this wall. You can also add framed photographs of yourself with your friends and family having fun or sharing a close moment. Anything that gives you a sense of accomplishment can go up on the wall. In times of failure, refer to your wall. It will serve to remind you that you have succeeded in the past and that you will succeed again in the future
4. Collect stories of failure about people who have gone on to become successful so that you can use them as inspiration when you're down. For example, consider the following life story.
This person:
At age 22 - Failed in business;
At age 23 - Was defeated for the State Legislature:
At age 24 - Again failed in business;
At age 25 - Was elected to the State Legislature;
At age 26 - His sweetheart died;
At age 27 - He suffered a nervous breakdown;
At age 29 - Was defeated for speaker;
At age 31 - Was defeated for elector;
At age 34 - Was defeated for Congress;
At age 37 - Was elected to Congress;
At age 39 - Was defeated for Congress;
At age 46 - Was defeated for the Senate;
At age 47 - Was defeated for Vice-President;
At age 49 - Was defeated for the Senate;
At age 51 - Was elected President of the United States.
This person was Abraham Lincoln.
5. Keep things in perspective; do not over-generalize. The fact that you've failed at something does not mean that your life is over. It does not mean that your reputation is forever ruined and that you'll never get another chance. Don't make the situation bigger or more pervasive than it really is. Instead, remember the famous line:
"And this too shall pass".



Failure can be a beautiful experience. Why? Because it provides us with an opportunity to develop courage. Or, as Confucius said, Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. Anyone who has seen the movie Rocky can never forget the scene in which he continually rises after being knocked down in the ring over and over again. Bloodied and barely able to see, he continues to get up and stagger toward his opponent, while his manager shouts, Rocky, stay down! Stay down!

At one time we were all just like Rocky. As infants learning to walk we would just get up after each fall. We were courageous! What happened? Why did many of us change? Well, as infants, our parents encouraged us. That is, they brought out the courage that naturally resided in us. But as we grew and experienced the jeers instead of cheers of our peers, courage somehow got pushed into a corner of our psyche, and eventually we forgot ever having it.

Its time to say: I wont take it any more; Im going to reclaim my courage! The best way to begin is by realizing that failure is an event, not a person. In other words, if you were to try something new and fail 18 times in a row, you would not be a FAILURE, but a PERSON who has experienced 18 failures. Thats a big difference. So, if theres something you want to do and are unsuccessful, dust yourself off and try again! Remember, the only people who never fail are those who never try.

Success Means Never Giving up

What did Thomas A. Edison say after 10,000 unsuccessful attempts to develop his electric lightbulb? He said, I have not failed. Ive just found 10,000 ways that wont work. Edison realized that men do not fail; they give up trying. He realized that success means not giving up. Shouldnt we be following his example?

Failure is more than an opportunity to develop courage. It is also a valuable lesson. When we learn from our mistakes, we can avoid committing them again. Besides, to succeed in life we need experience, and we gain experience by making mistakes. Dont be disheartened by failures; after all, you dont drown by falling in water; you drown by staying there.

Before a missile can hit its target, it needs feedback. Each moment it drifts from the target, the missile detects the error and adjusts its path to realign with its destination. It continues to do so until the moment of impact. Failure is also feedback. It is a reminder that we must take corrective action before we can reach our goal.

We can rejoice in our failures because each one brings us that much closer to success. The great Babe Ruth put it this way, Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. Also, heres what Thomas J. Watson, Founder of IBM, had to say on the subject, Would you like me to give you a formula for... success? Its quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. Youre thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isnt at all... you can be discouraged by failure -- or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember thats where you'll find success.

Which is better, to try something and fail or to try nothing and succeed? I think you will agree it is far better to try. Remember, there are three kinds of people: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who say, What happened? If we wish to belong to the first group, we have to take risks and try. So, lets start today by defying failure, learning from our mistakes, and forging ahead.