I'm much more impressed with a
person who shoots for an A and fails and gets a C instead than the guy who
aimed for a D because he knew he could hit it, and does. Failure is not the
bad thing that we tend to think it is-at least not in the positive areas in
our lives. Succeeding in becoming a drug addict is not the type of success
anyone should shoot for.
Failure is the process by which we learn. As toddlers, we failed and failed
in our attempts to walk. Our failure even brought pain as we fell down, bumped
our heads, and wailed for mommy and daddy, but this process of failure
teaches us a very important truth. As you fail, you learn more than you
thought you would. When a toddler fails in his efforts to walk, he also
learns how to fall. Falling is part of life. We all fall, but when we do
fall, it is important that we fall in such a way that we can get back up
again. When you fall in life-a failure-you learn how to handle it with poise,
dignity, and with the desire to get right back up again.
I pastor a Church and as such I do a lot of public speaking. I can't help but
make mistakes. But instead of turning red, stammering around and apologizing
profusely, which only embarrasses everyone else, I crack a joke about it.
Everyone laughs and the failure is turned into a success. I've learned how to
fall in public speaking! I can get
right back up.
The Bible speaks of this. It says, 'A
just man falleth seven times and riseth up again.' This man isn't just
because he never fails. He is just because when he does fail, he gets back
up! That is the key. Failure toughens you up and allows you to try again!
Imagine a person that has never suffered anything in life. He has never
failed, he has never suffered a misfortune-he's never suffered anything. His
ability to handle difficulties and trials is nil. He would be so weak and so
ineffective that the first wisp of a storm or trial in his life will cause
him to collapse. It is the failures in life that toughen us up, and makes us
worth knowing.
Failure is only failure if it keeps you down. Quitting is the only true
failure in life. A marriage is a success if they keep trying and learning
from their mistakes. But if they quit, yes, it has failed. Imagine a toddler
attempting to walk and falling down, and imagine that same toddler saying,
'Well, I tried this walking thing. I really did. But it's just not for me. I
don't think I'm cut out to walk. Besides, it's dangerous, and I think that
people who want to walk are crazy!' No parent would condone such an attitude!
Yet we live such an attitude in our daily lives. Failure is only failure if
you quit!
Failure can be very motivational! They say that the alley under Thomas
Eddison's window was littered with hundreds and possibly thousands of his
failed attempts to build a light bulb. When questioned about his failure, he
responded with something like this, "I now know a thousand ways not to
build a light bulb." His failure drove him on to succeed!
But more than that, when we shoot for something we might fail at then we always
go further and accomplish more than when we shoot for something we know we
can succeed at. I'd rather shoot for the A and fail than succeed at the D
because I knew I could succeed there. If I get a B or a C, I went further
than I would have had I been scared to fail.
Failure is not the end. It is just the beginning. Go on, give it a try. So
what if you fail…at least you tried.
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