Failure In Business Or Life Is Not An Option

In life, business, or anything else I decide to do, I refuse to accept failure as an alternative. It can be quite difficult for some people to understand what I’m sharing in this blog, but I assure you that by the time you finish reading this article you will agree with this most simplistic approach to viewing disappointment or things when they do not go according to plan.

I have an eight year old son who doesn’t realize how he is teaching me a valuable lesson that only a child can teach. It’s a lesson of not giving up, and how one should view disappointment from a whole different perspective. You see, my son plays football, and he’s really good at it, but not only that, he also plays basketball, baseball, soccer and he even wrestles. Although he is only eight, he believes he can do many things including rapping; but don’t tell him I said this—this, he is lousy at.

The way my son seems to look at life or sports, is that he doesn’t understand failure. If this is the case, we can never experience failure. Instead, we should view them as life or business lessons. Even after his team loses a football game, he seems to be okay. I’ve watched him encourage his teammates after a loss, which is far and in-between, and he makes mental adjustments to do his best to help his team win the next game. I guess for my son, failure isn’t failure until he sees it as failure. What others call failures are really life experiences.

Henry Ford was the great creative mind of his generation. People often contribute the invention of the automobile to him, but that is not accurate. What Henry Ford is known for is his creative genius for discovering the assembly line to develop more automobiles at a less expensive price to the consumer. He actually endured several automotive industry disappointments by producing vehicles that were low quality and too expensive. However, his fortitude and tenacity to plow ahead without mentally giving in to discouragement, allowed him to develop the Model T in 1908, and it caught on like wildfire. Henry Ford was able to come up with a brilliant idea because he started with trying so many awful ones. So don’t be so quick to chalk up every disappointment as a failure.

Many people in life experience failures because that’s how they see their ideas when they don’t seem to work, but in actuality they give up not realizing how close they are to success.

Think about your own life. How many of your great ideas did you believe so strongly in that you were able to extract them from paper to physical form? Perhaps you assumed everyone would want to buy your product, only to wake up to the reality that no lines were forming in order to purchase it. A person not standing in line to buy your product doesn’t mean that it is a failure. It could simply be a matter of changing your approach or presentation. This is why advertising is so important.

James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, became one of America’s great success stories. James’ early life experience didn’t reflect an ideal way of being raised, but he never saw that as a reason to not make something of his life. Having nothing but an elementary education, he was able to push his way to the top of society because of how he saw himself. He was creative with musical sounds and genres of music that impacted all races and nationalities. People often say you need an education to make it in life, that’s not all together true; however, some form of education in a given area is necessary if you are going make it. James Brown had a sound in his head and educated himself about the music industry, so that he could dictate his dream, and the price he wanted to be paid for it.

Stop sitting back and claiming failure when your attempts to succeed have been half-hearted. If you give a half-hearted attempt you will receive a half-hearted result. If you don’t believe in yourself, then who will? How can you have a success story unless you see your life as a success?

Walt Disney is now a worldwide institution, recognized as the happiest place on earth. But, it wasn’t always that way. Walt failed at so many things, but he succeeded in at least one. He started a commercial art studio that he supported by taking a part-time job. Then he started an animation company whose products had good success in Kansas City, but he later went bankrupt. Disney started over in Los Angeles and that didn’t quite work out. Walt gave it another shot, creating a squeaky-voiced mouse with the name, Mortimer, which his wife changed to Mickey. This idea came from the same brain of the same man who had experienced one disappointment after another, but never stopped. Mickey was a smash hit, and we still love Mickey today.

Start something, or else how will you know which idea is best?

Recommended Reading:

I frequently say, “Readers are leaders and leaders are readers.” I strongly believe this statement; therefore, I have taken the time to recommend reading material that I believe will greatly benefit your life and business endeavors. Click the images to see more information or to order the books from Amazon.com.