I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. Thomas Edison
Many successful people have failed while attempting to achieve their goals.
Actually, some of the most successful people on the planet have failed spectacularly! Did you know that Milton Hershey of the famed Hershey’s chocolates was fired from his first job as a printer, then went on to start and lose three candy companies and file for personal bankruptcy before finally starting the company that he became famous for? Can you imagine starting three companies that all failed?
Steven Jobs, the creator of the Apple computer began his career in his parent’s garage. Within a decade he’d built up a 2 billion dollar company. At age thirty Jobs joined the ranks of the unemployed when his own board of directors fired him. He went on to found another successful venture, Pixar, a company that creates animation for films such as Finding Nemo. He didn’t wallow in self pity after being fired. Oh, and by the way his old company Apple came back groveling twelve years later and hired him back. Can anybody say IPhone and Ipad?
Becoming successful takes fortitude and perseverance.
J.K. Rowling, the mega successful author of the Harry Potter series, was rejected by twelve different publishers before she found one to accept her manuscript. Even after agreeing to publish her first novel, they advised her to keep her day job. It seems no one had any faith in J.K. – but J.K. herself.
Even Stephen King‘s first novel, Carrie was rejected by more than a dozen publishers before he was offered a contract. Did he give up and say I guess I’m not a writer? No.
Simon Cowell, the now hugely successful record and television producer of American Idol and other international talent shows, was forced to move back in with his parents in 1989 due to crushing debts he’d amassed when the record company he worked for had financial difficulties. He recovered from this setback and pursued his dream and his successful results are now broadcast around the world.
Two years ago I was privileged to interview entrepreneur, A.J.Khubani for a magazine I contributed to. Khubani is a fascinating business man whose company, Telebrands Corp, markets products with the red AS SEEN ON TV label, such as the PedEgg, the StickUp Bulb, and the GoDuster just to name a few. Khubani started his business right out of college with a few thousand dollars and it was NOT an overnight success. Over the years he had numerous product failures that cost him a bundle, and faced crippling lawsuits over patent infringement, but he never gave up and Telebrands came back even bigger and more profitable.
Twenty-five years later his company is worth $100 million. The most interesting part of our interview though was when he spoke of failing and almost losing his business, and his home in 2000. He responded that failure and challenging times help us to mature. He also said that if he had a chance he wouldn’t change a thing in his life; that’s now much he valued the experience of failing because of what he learned from it.
Successful people don’t allow failure to deter them from pressing on.
They have a vision for their lives, and use their failures as a lesson and stepping stone to get them to their goal. They don’t give up. If you want to succeed you have to be unshakeable, unquakeable, and unsinkable and say to yourself: Failure is not the end. It’s the beginning. I can and I will try again.
(Here’s a short video on some of the famous people who’ve failed. Click on the link.) Famous People Who’ve Failed
I’m not trying to make light of failure. In fact, I was inspired to write this article because too many people close to me are facing enormous challenges in their lives due failing or losing a job. Of course it’s devastating to fail. There’s the huge emotional tsunami one has to survive beside dealing with the potential realities like financial ruin, homelessness, putting food on the table, etc. The point I’m trying to make though is that we do and can go on. It might not be pretty for a while, or even a long time, but as long as you have breath in your body you have a chance to try again and to use all that you’ve learned from your failure to regain your footing and come back even better and happier in the second go round.
Fellow blogger, Dragos Roua, from his blog of the same name said it so well when he wrote in is superb article titled, “The Six Stages of Failure”:
You learn by doing. You see what you did wrong, when and how, and start to fix it. It’s like a DIY session, only it’s for the entire Universe. You broke something in your reality but now you know exactly how you did it. It’s like you have a map on how to re-assemble the pieces, so you pick your tools and start fixing that stuff.
If you have a dream declare it boldly! Don’t be afraid of what anyone thinks or says to you. Many new ideas aren’t accepted at first. Just think of how many people must have laughed at the Wright brothers before they designed a plane that actually could fly.
Create a plan to achieve your goal and begin working it. Even if you’re first few attempts backfire – keep going. Remember, the people who dare to laugh are the ones most afraid of failure.
So, don’t cower in the corner fearing failure – go for it. And, remember if you fail or if you’ve been fired you’re in great company. And, after realizing your in great company, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back in there.
The real meaning of success is not about fame and fortune. It’s what you learn on the journey getting there – particularly from your failures.
I’ve failed – and been fired from my first job. I’ve also left the finance industry and come back to the safety net of a “job” numerous times because my attempts in other industries haven’t worked out. But, I’m not giving up. Today is a new day – and another chance to try again. I’ve learned that failing is not the end of the world. I’ve also learned how important it is to plan and take small calculated steps toward your goals instead of jumping off a cliff all at once, and that’s what I’m doing now. Sometime soon, I will be self-employed writing/blogging, teaching others how to develop their intuition and extra sensory perception and doing intuitive and mediumistic consulting. Baby steps do lead to great strides.
What about you? Have you ever failed? What did you learn from it?
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Hi Angela,
I love this article. Seems we almost need permission to lift our chin after a failed attempt. I feel fortunate, and grateful, that I’ve always had safety nets within my family.
Along with the safety nets…anytime I’ve been tempted to go for broke and take a huge risk, there has been someone there to remind me that it’s not a great idea.
Grateful, fortunate….safe.
I am learning each day that it takes less and less to make me feel safe. I am coming to understand that while I don’t necessarily have to go for broke, I can develop a plan, declare my intentions boldly, and step forward into the warm sunshine…
Thanks for your help along the journey…
Jane
Hi Jane,
Welcome to my blog!
I’m so happy you liked the article. Yes, that’s right. I never thought of it that way, but I think you’re right. We do want permission to get back up after a failure.
Yes, having a support system, and someone to bounce ideas off of is so important.
Wow, that’s a wonderful thing to feel safe. Yes, declare your intentions boldly….and step into the sunshine.
It’s my pleasure – believe me.
Thank you so much for visiting and for adding to conversation here.
Thank you Angela,
I recently decided to commit to taking action on my childhood fantasies, despite the immense fear of failing. This is something so close to my heart, a part of me is almost afraid of trying in fear of somehow trying my best and finding out that I can’t. I know that it’s silly but it’s almost crippling. In the vein of being bold, I decided to declare what I’m doing online and just going for it. And like you said, if I fail, at least I’ll know I’m in good company and then get back to it!
I hope you are doing well!
Take care,
Ben
Hi Ben,
It’s so great to “see” you again. I hope the trip to NY was great!
Be bold- declare it out loud! Good for you. I’ll go read your blog to find out what your “going for.”
I’m sure you’ll be a success though. Can’t wait to see what you’re up to.
I’m doing well – thanks so much.
Thank you so much for stopping by.
Thanks Angela! This was just the post I needed to read…how do you always do that? I am in the process about writing a post about doubt because sometime I wonder if I’m on the right track. Then I read a post like this and know I want to keep going with my book and books to come…I just won’t quit my day job yet!!
Betsy,
I’m so glad to be of help. I don’t know – call it synchronicity!
Oooh, Doubt – count me in. I need to read that!
Me neither – not quitting my day job just yet either!
So glad we connected Betsy. Thanks so much for visiting here.
Hi!
The Hersey story I didn’t know…3 company failures. I would think I’d die! And DIY for the universe, I love that line. It shows how silly I am for fearing failure…shhhh don’t tell anyone I said that…I’m the bold one;)
Hi Tess,
It’s so nice of you to visit – Welcome!
When I started researching info for the article I had no idea Hershey had failed so many times either.
I agree – I would have thought: I guess I’m not meant to be in the candy business and gone looking for another biz to start!
Yes, the DIY instructions from the Universe was thought up by Dragos Roua – a genius, of course.
You’re secret is safe with me, don’t worry!
Thank you so much for commenting here.
Nicely written post Angela!
There is no man who is “successful” and without any failure at the same time. Failure is the most natural thing in the world! As soon as we realize that, we will rise above the “usual people” who allowed the failure to paralyze them…
Have I ever failed? Of course, constant… I’m happy about it. The worst part of my life was when I was NOT failed! Then I was not trying anything, and then I was NOT alive! I was just hiding!
Then I suffered most of my adult life, and I would never return to a state with no failures! I was wrong with the university, with my first website, I have experienced many failures with job search and many other things… But all this is a set of experiences that are changing. Nothing is permanent.
Best regards…
Marko,
Thanks so much for visiting my site. It’s a pleasure to have you here.
I absolutely agree with you that if we’re not failing we’re not trying anything new. We’re playing it way too safe.
Yes, and you’re right to say you’re not really living but hiding from life!
I had a website two years ago – that I let lapse, but I learned a lot in the process.
Thank you so much for sharing your insights and wisdom here.
Edison failed 10,000 times before he succeed in created the carbonate pregnant filament that we use to light, light bulbs. Don’t ask me how i know this. But use these words as inspiration for your self.
Hi,
Welcome to my blog! Thank you for adding more insights to the conversation here. I really appreciate it.
Hope to see you back here again. Thanks so much for visiting.
I loved this post — so many important lessons and examples!
I think it’s important not to think of failure as failure. The word failure means “lack of success”, but none of us are really lacking success, we simply haven’t reached it yet.
Success is however we define it. If we define success as having the motivation to continue whenever we come across a roadblock, then we will never fail. We will simply continue moving along.
Learning from each of our mistakes ensures we will tackle the next roadblock in a more skilled fashion.
Mistakes and roadblocks are all part of the journey. A journey without roadblocks or mistakes means we’re not pushing ourselves hard enough.
Raam,
I’m so happy to see you here. Welcome to PbA!
I’m glad you enjoyed this post and found helpful.
What a wonderful point you make: failure only means a “lack of success” – meaning we haven’t reached it yet,
so if success is keeping ourselves motivated to continue past any roadblocks we have to surmount – then we have succeeded.
I definitely agree with you that mistakes and roadblocks show that we are pushing ourselves forward. Without them we haven’t really tried yet.
Thank you for your visit here and for leaving such insightful comments.
Angela, I love your new site!
This was a terrific and inspirational post 🙂 And I wish you all the best as you prepare to embark on your new path of self-employment.
Hi Christianna,
It’s so nice of you to visit! I’m so glad you like the new site too.
I’m happy you found the post inspirational as well.
Thank you so much for your good wishes and your comments.
Angela: What a great post. So motivational and filled with such wisdom. Thank you so much for sharing it. I thought what you said about having a vision for you life and using failure as a stepping stone was poignant. The reality is that challenges and obstacles are always going to come our way, but if you look at them from the right perspective and recognize they really are an opportunity to improve your course of action, then they can actually set you up to take another great stride forward. Thanks again for this post. I really enjoyed it.
Hi Sibyl,
Thank you. I’m glad you found the post motivating. We always face obstacles, so we’d better learn how to deal with them and with failing to deal with them correctly otherwise we won’t grow and make great strides.
Thank you so much for visiting and your comment!
That was a great post!
I’m so stubborn that in the past it has been difficult for me to even acknowledge that I have “failed”. I think I was so focussed on “not losing” that I couldn’t really learn the lessons. (Even though I did learn some valuable lessons from utter failures, even if I didn’t want to admit they were failures).
However, now that I am more easily able to release events that aren’t working for me, I find I am also more able to learn and accept what the lessons were for me in the experience.
My relationship failures were probably my times of greatest personal growth, although they were beyond terrible at the time.
Kara
Hi Kara,
I’m glad you enjoyed this post. It’s funny how that goes – once we loosen up and accept our shortcomings and failures things get a bit easier and we do learn and grow.
Relationships are HUGE teachers for us for sure. I’m sure you grew a great deal from what you learned there – even if you went through hell at the time.
Thank so much for visiting my blog and for leaving your comments.
I do love this post! I have a little book I flip through when I get frustrated about my perceived failures called “Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better.” It’s filled with inspirational stories and quotes of those who have failed and succeeded – and in truth I don’t know anyone who has succeeded without any failures.
Thank you for the inspiration!
Aileen, I love the photo you’re using!
I have a little book like that with lots of wonderful quotes. Sometimes I just pick a page and read the quote to inspire me for the day.
Yes, it’s so true. I don’t know anyone who has succeeded without failing at some time either.
I’m so glad to have inspired you!
I really liked this post. I know the only way to learn to walk is to fall down and get back up again but what is it about these people that make them willing to keep getting back up?
Hi Marion,
Welcome to my blog. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. So true – the only way to learn to walk is to fall down and get back up. I hadn’t thought of that. What a great way to describe failure.
I think we get up again and try to learn to walk because something inside of us still needs expression. The life force has not reached it’s potential and we’re driven to keep striving. After all, isn’t that why we’re here? To learn and grow into a fuller expression of ourselves?
Thank you so much for visiting here. I look forward to “chatting” with you again.
Angela,
you new site is cool as one before. Congratulation on successful move.
I like this article a lot because we all go through sometimes failures after failures without seeing much success and light at the end of the tunnel. It is good to remember to keep doing your best. Failures are not bad as long as we learn from it.
Hi Preeti,
Thanks much for the compliment on the new site – it’s almost exactly the same as my old site though! Just a new name and tag line.
You’re so right, failures aren’t bad as long as we learn from them. It’s when we keep doing the same things over and over that our lives become stuck.
Thank you so much for commenting and christening my new home with your visit!
Very well said, Angela. This is a very important topic that can’t be reiterated enough. Anybody that has tasted success has swallowed a lot of failure. All failure is meant to be temporary. Failure simply shows us what needs correcting. When we take our failures personally we waste creative energy trying to protect our bruised egos. When we are not worried about looking good or winning approval we can learn the lessons from our failures.
Hi Rob,
I love how you’ve said it: Anyone who’s tasted success has swallowed a lot of failure.
So true – we need to stop catering to our egos and worrying over how our failure might look to others.
Thank you Rob – for sharing your insights here.
Great Article! I have for years lived by the mantra that if I am not failing some of the time then I simply am not trying hard enough. One can never fail if one never tries. One can live the safe way, however it is a life of quiet desperation. We must summon the courage to be innovative and to dare to fail and dare to succeed.
Hi Mark,
Thank you so much. I’m glad you found the article helpful. Yes, I so agree with you – we must summon the courage to be innovative and to dare to fail and dare to succeed.
So nice of you to visit here. Thank you for your insightful comment. I hope to see you here again.
Angela,
Very nice and inspirational post. There are so many ups and downs in life.. hard time really does make you think and learn in a way you cannot imagine. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Justin,
Welcome to my blog! I’m glad you found the post inspirational. I agree with you – in hard times we have to dig deep and stretch which ultimately helps us to grow so that the next time we face anything similar we’ve learned how to do it.
It’s my pleasure to share with you. Thank you for your comments. I look forward to seeing you here again.
Failure is indeed a reat teacher. After a devastating year, as a result of the recession, my business is back on track. But there were times when recovery seemed hopeless. It was advice such as yours that kept me going. And I did learn so much–especially about myself. As a result I am a better busiensswoman and a better client.
Thanks for the reminder. It has re-energized me.
Hi Rosemarie,
Yes, it’s true that when we look back we can see how much our failures have taught us. While we’re going through it of course we feel pretty low and as if nothing good could come of it. I guess that’s a pretty human reaction though.
I’m so glad that your business is back on track! That’s awesome and an indicator that our economy may also be back on track too! It’s a tribute to your tireless efforts and persistence in focusing on visualizing your business turn around.
If anything I ever wrote made any sort of a difference for you I’m so glad! You were always a terrific business woman – but now you’re going to be unstoppable!
Thank you for your comments.
Hello, Angela! I definitely agree in the power of perseverance. I think I must have revised my blog a hundred of times already. We always strive to grow, and we win by trying again and again and again 😉
Hi Joyce,
It’s great to have you visit here. Welcome!
Thanks so much for the positive feedback. I really appreciate it.
I look forward to “chatting” with you again here.
Yep, big failure, right over here! Lots of times. Learned what I was good at, what I wasn’t, but always believed in myself in some small way, even if it was shoved to the back of my mind for a while, it always eventually migrated back to the front again like a magnet to my dreams. Love this post Angela. Full of inspiring content to spend time with. Thanks so much.
Hi Katie,
I’ve decided to think of failure as Muscle Building! So that means you’ve become a pretty strong woman Katie.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post and found it inspiring too.
It’s my pleasure – and it’s always a pleasure having you “visit” here.
Hi Angela,
This is a very inspiring post! I think the only true failure is not trying. I look at everything else as “non-successes.” And if you learn from them, they can be very beneficial to you.
Hi Greg,
I thought you’d be a on a flight to NY by now?
I’m glad you enjoyed the post and found it inspiring too.
What a great way of putting it – the only failure is not trying.
Yes, and if we learn from it – we will be better off.
Thank you so much for commenting. Great to see you.
Angela, Great post which makes some excellent points. We need to remind ourselves that often the people doing the rejecting don’t know how to recognize quality when they see it. There are plenty of examples, such as the unknown person who told Elvis Presley not to quit his day job. In this and in the examples you cite, the person who failed is the one who rejected block-buster books or ideas or talent.
Hi Madeleine,
I’m glad you enjoyed the post. So true about not recognizing talent. Look at Steven Jobs. Apple was sinking fast when the board of directors realized that they should rehire him.
Thank you so much for your comments. It’s nice to see you again!
I hope all is well.
Hey Angela, love the post. It’s a new kind of post that you usually write about but I still appreciate it’s message. Basically, it’s to never give up. You’ve showed many great examples of people who have failed numeous times including Milton Hershey, Steve Jobs, J. K. Rowing, and our own blogger here, Dragos Roua. It was also inspring to here about your failure with your first job.
Last year in October, I tried to guest post for Dumb Little Man and it was rejected (well I never got an email back). I was kind of down because it took me a lot of time to write that article. I saw that rejection as a failure. I quit doing guest posts up until about February of this year. I was inspired by someone else’s writing and decided to give it one more try. I learned from my what I did wrong and went on to submit 12 guest posts for different sites. It was really good experience that taught me about persistence. 🙂 Thank you for this Angela!
Hi Hulbert,
I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, you’re right it isn’t the normal type of post that I write, but I know so many people facing challenging times that I felt inspired to write it. I will be going back to my “normal” topics unless inspired otherwise.
Wow! You really did learn from what happened in October. 12 guest posts that’s marvelous.
From talking to you when we did my interview and the first session didn’t record – I know that you’re persistent!
What’s that old saying? Persistence pays off – I think.
In your case it has. You have a fabulous blog with a fabulous following – that includes me!
Thanks so much for commenting. It’s always a pleasure to “chat’ with you Hulbert.
Nearly everyone I’ve known who has had major success in life has also had major failures. It just takes most of us a few swings before we connect with the ball. I’ve had plenty of failures in terms of careers I tried that just weren’t my thing, relationships that didn’t pan out, and financial missteps, but I look for the lesson and the blessing in everything and move on from there.
Thanks for this post and for all the great links you included in it too!
Hi Jean,
You are a winner in every sense of the word!
I love that: It just takes most of us a few swings before we connect with the ball – what an excellent way to put it.
Yes, the important thing is to get the lesson and move; you’re so right.
I’ve missed the ball several times and all for the same reason – I valued security more than following my passion and dreams and it’s always landed me back in the same place – stuck on second base and trying to figure out how to get “home.”
I plan to make it home this time.
Thanks so much for your insights Jean. I truly look forward to your “visits!”