Magnificent Monday – You Failed Before, But Move
Magnificent Monday -it is magnificent to be able to fail and keep moving.
Each Magnificent Monday thoughout the month of December has been devoted to the idea of taking action in spite of other things convenient excuses not to take action. Previous Magnificent Mondays have covered the topics of:
Future articles will deal with the topics:
- you have a full plate but move
- using your accountability group to help you move
Today, the Magnificent Monday article deals with the idea that you have failed before, but move!
photo credit: Argonne National Laboratory via photopin cc Magnificent Monday, fail, succeed, move, perservere, learn
Sometimes, the thing that keeps a person from taking action and moving forward is the knowledge that she has failed before. The past failure often causes a person to feel as if she shouldn’t take a chance and attempt a great a wonderful thing again. It may seem counter intuitive, but it is because a person has failed in the past that she should go for it and take action now. It has often been said that before making the final version of the incandescent light bulb, Thomas Edison made almost 200 different versions. When asked what is was like to have failed 200 times, Jefferson replied that he did not fail, but found 200 ways not ot make an incandescent light bulb. That is the attitude you should take when fear of past failures makes you hesitant to take action in the present. You should always find a way to look at failure as an opportunity for improvement. In other words, each time you do not successfully complete your mission, you have learned a way not to complete the mission.
Look for example at a child that is learning to walk. That child will start and fall, start and fall, and start and fall many times before learning to walk. The interesting thing about the child learning to walk is that she will try over and over, no mattter how many times she falls. Each time she gets up, she learns a little something about how not to walk. Eventually she has enough knowldge from her failed attempts and she is able to walk and eventually to run. I have raised four children and have encountered numerous others. I have never heard of a child who tried to walk and after a few hundred failed attempts decided she was never going to try again. No matter how often a child lerning to walk falls, she will continue to get up and try again and again until she has achieved her mission and is walking. Let that be your example.
Magnificent Monday, fail, continue, perservere, try, succeed
It is a magnificent thing to learn and truly believe that no matter how many times you fail, you can get back up and try again and that eventually you will succeed. The difference between success and failure is often just getting the right mental attitude. So, the question for you this Magnificent Monday is how do you find ways to turn failure into eventual success?
I like that expression, “fail forward.” That attitude will help people realize that failing is a step in the process, it is not an end, but a part of the journey towards the goal. Thanks for a great phrase and image.
I head someone say you should fail forward. Each failure pushes you closer to your goal. You learn from your mistakes.
That is high praise from the lay it out there queen! Thank you.
You are so right! I love how you are willing to just lay it all out there. Love!
I love the fearlessness and determination of children. Perhaps because they live in a world where the constantly do stuff wrong or are not allowed to do things, they attack what they do with gusto!
Thanks!
This is such a timely post for me to read. I love children because they are not jaded like adults are. I’m gonna embrace my inner child 🙂
I love your example of a child learning to walk! A great reminder that they never ever give up in trying to succeed at what they want to do, and neither should we. Awesome share!!
Yes! You are right, it is what comes after the failure that is important.
Yes! Faith can keep us going when common sense tells us to sit down and stay down.
Yes! With God we know we have the victory so I know any failure I experience is only temporary.
Great information. It is ok to fail but it is what you do afterwards that matters. Fear is cripling!
I love the analogy of the child learning how to walk and continuing to push through regardless of how many times she/he falls. This is so true. Fear will always come around, but the more we replace it with faith, the easier it will be to overcome our challenges.
Great topic and wonderful analogies Janeane. Failure definitely has shown me what not to do. 🙂
Fear… it’s a *bleep*