Success is an interesting phenomenon.
A great deal of research has been carried out to understand it and to find a recipe for an essential element of success. People were asked to define what success is, celebrities were asked to define what, in their opinion, contributed to their success.
The answers are naturally as varied as the people asked and range from having an open mind to having a great work ethic. There is a consensus that positive people are more successful than negative people.
There is also a common denominator for success and it is…….. failure. Obviously provided that we approach it with the right attitude.
“Success is failure in progress.” – Albert Einstein
The great scientist did not speak until he was 9, he did not excel at school and was even expelled, and yet his works are the pillars of modern physics.
Thomas Edison was a prolific inventor who had hundreds of refused patents under his belt. Despite frequent failures his drive to invent never let him stop. He famously said: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” He learned from his failures and did not give up. Imagine how dark our world would be if he did….
Micheal Jordan also attributes his success to failure: “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” The drive that fuelled Jordan, prevented him from giving up, made him continue in his training even though he did not reach the minimum height for basketball. When he overcame this obstacle, he kept going. And when he was already famous and respected, the moments when he missed a shot, in other words his failures, kept him going. Thanks to his failures he remained humble and continued training and improving.
They all approached failure in a positive way and did not allow it to deter them and stop them in their tracks. But there was one more little habit that they shared; they analysed and learned from their failures. Because only when we consciously benefit from its lesson, can failure become a great contributor to our success.
And how about you? How do you treat failure? What do you consider your greatest failure? And most importantly, was it a stepping stone to your success?
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What is your take on an essential element of success?
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