11-3-11
11:45 AM

Don't Be Afraid of Failure

Until you overcome the fear of failure, you'll be immobilized at the prospect of taking a risk. The important thing to remember when you fail is not to quit. History shows that failure can actually become a bridge to success.

Only when you consider your failure to be final, are you finally a failure. Failure is not an event, only an opinion, and as long as it's not your opinion, you can come back and succeed. In his first inaugural address Franklin Roosevelt told the nation, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Failure is not fatal; you can begin again. But the fear of failure could prove fatal to your goals by keeping you from trying again. It's a mistake to suppose that people succeed only through success; they often succeed through failures. You're not defeated until the past take your focus off the future.

The truth is, when you fail in one area, it can drive you to explore other areas. Most of life's successes are based on the principle of trial and error. Failure is not falling short of your goal. It's simply not making the effort. Failure can actually help you discover your area of success. For example, when you hate your job, you will likely fail in it. Yet it's in losing that hated position that you map be pressed to pursue what you really like to do, and are called to do.

Another benefit of failure is that it that it makes you less judgmental of others. When you've experienced failure, you become more sympathetic. Instead of pointing an accusing finger, you see the need to extend a helping hand. Instead of saying foolish things like, "I can't believe you did that," you remember the pit God dug you out of and say with gratitude and humility. "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt." You know how it hurts to fail, and you feel their pain because of what you've been through. This makes you a better friend, a better mentor, and a better example of you.

Dr. John Maxwell says, "At some point, you have to make a transition from believer of the dream to buyer of the dream. No dream comes true without somebody paying for it. And part of the price you will have to pay is in learning from the mistakes you make. You can attend every success seminar, read every success manual, and follow every success mentor, but the price must always be paid in messes and mistakes. There isn't a single person in the world who has achieved anything without paying a price for it. Some pay with their lives or their freedom. Others pay by giving up options or finances or relationships. But one way or another, everybody pays."

Rechell Williams #V-69138
P.O. Box 5242
Corcoran, CA 93212
http://betweenthebars.org/blogs/507/rechell-wlliams/