Achieving Success Through Failure

Achieving a successful outcome in any endeavor requires persistence and failed attempts. As you build your business, realize that each failed attempt requires another in order to learn, grow, and eventually overcome the obstacles to succeed.

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.  ~Thomas Edison

Those that press on regardless of a temporary setback and focus on improving on their previous attempts eventually succeed. Success requires Repetition, restatement, reiteration, recapitulation, rehearsal, and duplication.

Here are just eight examples of individuals past and present that overcame obstacles and succeeded.

1. Henry Ford: Ford’s early businesses failed and left him broke five times before he founded the successful Ford Motor Company.

2. Thomas Edison: In his early years, teachers told Edison he was “too stupid to learn anything.” Work was no better, as he was fired from his first two jobs for not being productive enough. Even as an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. We all know what happened.

3. Orville and Wilbur Wright: After numerous attempts at creating flying machines, years of hard work, and tons of failed prototypes, the brothers finally created a plane that could get airborne and stay there.

4. Abraham Lincoln: While today he is remembered as one of the greatest leaders of our nation, Lincoln’s life wasn’t so easy. There is conjecture that he was demoted from Captain to Private during the Black Hawk War. (Not sure this is true) Lincoln started numerous failed businesses and was defeated in numerous runs he made for public office.

5. Jerry Seinfeld: The first time the young comedian walked on stage at a comedy club, froze and was jeered and booed off of the stage. Seinfeld went back the next night, completed his set to laughter and applause, and the rest is history.

6. Michael Jordan: Jordan was actually cut from his high school basketball team. Jordan stated after becoming a Pro, “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

7. Babe Ruth: Babe Ruth held the home run record (714 during his career), but no one talks about the 1,330 strikeouts. In fact, for decades he held the record for strikeouts. When asked about this he simply said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”

8. Steven Spielberg: Spielberg was rejected from the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television three times. He then dropped out of film school to become a director. Thirty-five years later, Spielberg returned to film school in 2002 to complete his work and earn his BA.

These are just a few of the thousands that have gone before us. They never gave up and counted their failures as stepping stones to learn from and adjust their approach. Success leaves clues. The bottom line is, if you’re not striking out, you’re not in-game. Let’s not make the mistake of stopping three feet from Gold.