The Colonel said, “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, kid. They’re what make you human, and they’re the only way you learn. Failure is not fatal.”
Even so… Failure is a hard concept for a Colonel’s daughter. Disappointing The Colonel was agonizing. Because Dad was the largest and most important presence in my childhood, I wanted to be perfect for him in everything I did. The “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” talk was my worst nightmare. So, it took me well into my adulthood to realize that failure is not fatal. Failure is necessary for growth in all areas of our lives.
I imagine most people have heard about Thomas Edison’s inventive process and his countless failures while creating the light bulb. It’s a valuable lesson in how failure is essential to success. There are many versions of the story of Edison’s response when asked about his perceived failure—having made over 1000 attempts before perfecting the process. Two of my favorites are, “I have not failed at all, I have discovered over 1000 ways to not create an electric light bulb,” and “I did not fail 1000 times. The Edison light bulb was an invention with 1000 steps.”
What would life be like if Thomas Edison had decided to give up at attempt number 750 because he had “failed”? It’s hard to imagine very many contributions to society more significant than capturing electricity and making it available to every home and business. Now, I know not everything each of us strives for will be as significant as harnessing electricity—but how do we know?
Think about it. What could you do if you took the potential for failure out of the decision? If failing now and then was an acceptable, even expected, part of ultimate success, what would you do differently? Would you strive harder for significance in your work, with your family, and in your community? I think it’s worth that paradigm shift. Try it for just a day and see what happens. Try to take the fear of failure out of the equation for the next 24 hours and notice how your actions change.
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