Thought of the Week 8-14-2008
“A failure is a man who has blundered but is not capable of cashing in on the experience.”
– Elbert Hubbard
Believe it or not, but I have been thinking a lot about failure this week. As I watched the Olympic Games, while witting at the hospital the other night, I saw winners, I saw losers, I saw triumphs, I saw blunders; however, I could not for the life of me find one failure!
It’s funny how we so quickly dismiss the person that doesn’t rate gold, silver or bronze, yet what does it take to even be able to compete in the games? I mean, we have to ask ourselves, “Could I have done it?”
When I thought about all the hard work, effort and achievement it takes to simply be able to join in on the actual games, I realized that THIS IN ITSELF IS SUCCESS!
“Success is a Journey.” – Fortune Cookie (note from one I ate on Monday!)
No matter the outcome in front of the cameras, behind the scenes what needed to be done was done so that these hopeful competitors could raise the bar, set the records and meet the challenges ahead. I believe it’s what happens behind the scene that’s most important in all of life.
If we are able to do what it takes to qualify, then we HAVE been a success! And not only that, but I don’t think that anyone who has blundered at some level, once they learn from it, doesn’t think about how much that blunder was worth after the fact. I embrace my failures so that I can learn from them and succeed later. It’s the blunders that drive me further, harder, and faster. It’s the drive and commitment behind the scene that leads me to compete. This is SUCCESS!
Here’s a snippet of an article I read about “Dan & Dave” of the 1990’s shoe company commercials:
…At the American Olympic Trails in June of 1992, the unthinkable happened. Dan O’Brien, gold medal favorite and marketing icon, failed to qualify for the Olympics!
Overestimating his ability in the pole vault, Dan set the bar too high — an epic blunder. On his first attempt, he missed. No worries though, he still had two more tries. On his second attempt, he didn’t even come close. By his final attempt, Dan was so tight with pressure that he had no hope of clearing the bar. His Olympic dream was dashed, Reebok’s ad campaign was trashed, and Dave Johnson headed to the Olympics alone.
After the anguish and public humiliating of missing the Olympics, Dan could have given up his dream of winning Olympic gold. He was the laughingstock of the media, and he had missed a rare opportunity to compete on the world’s greatest stage. However, Dan was a competitor, and he bounced back.
For four long years, Dan O’Brien funneled the emotions of his failure to fuel his resolve to make the 1996 Olympic Games. Rather than drowning out the memory of his mishap at the Olympic Trials, O’Brien repeatedly watched his botched attempts in the pole vault. Refusing to wallow in his setback, he learned from it, and he redoubled his training efforts.
At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, O’Brien gained redemption and achieved his dream by capturing the gold medal in the decathlon. (August 2008 Leadership Wired)
It was Napoleon Hill who said, “The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail.”
So, I guess what I am trying to say is nothing worth doing at least twice is worth doing at all. So, when you fall, get back up and make that failure your drive! I dare you to show the world what you are made of!
It’s not failure I need to worry about, but success, as long as I keep my focus on fearing failure, I will never win!
“Losers visualize the penalties of failure. Winners visualize the rewards of success.”
– William S. Gilbert
Have a great week!
d
Dustin Hedrick
Operations Manager
Burt Associates, Incorporated