Define Failure
Is failure holding you back? Is failure an option?
I was asked a question this week that has dominated my thoughts ever since…
The question was, “What is failure to you?”
As a person who sometimes procrastinates on dealing with confrontation, I started asking other people what their definition was. This was my 1st attempt at avoiding the inner conflict of answering the question honestly! Sad…but true!
Here are a few of the responses from various people before I publicly tackle my inner demons:
* it’s like failing a test
* failure is not trying
* truly screwing up
* letting someone down
Now before I go insane, I am going to try and honestly reveal to you, and at the same time answer what my personal definition of failure is! In doing so I hope you can relate, or at least begin to identify if your own personal definition of failure is in any way holding you back. I’m sure we all are affected differently…
What is failure to me?
* failure is not an option (hear me out)
Unfortunately, over the past decade I have CONVINCED MYSELF that I’m conditioned to NOT allow failure as an option. I think ultimately this has been my greatest downfall. On one hand I teach my children they need to fail repeatedly to learn and ultimately succeed! On the other hand, I practice the complete opposite and have never allowed myself to truly fail!
Sure, I have had minor failures and I dismiss them as such. But, have I ever placed it all on the line and RISKED major failure? NO!
Ok, so if I did allow failure as an option, what would it look and feel like?
* it would mean having to watch my wife and children go with out because I failed
* it would mean I would have to admit failure is an option and indeed possible
* it would mean having to say “I Failed” to myself, to my family and to the world and actually try and fix any mess I would have created.
At the end of the day I have to go back to a definition given by the most important person in my life, next to my children, my wife! Her definition to me was the most profound…
Tanya said, “Failure is not even trying!”
I have so much to learn
This video below says it all!!!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT4Fu-XDygw[/youtube]
Aweber is very simple to use and agree with you that people should use it. Learning how to properly ad ...
Thank you for a great comparison. I have AWeber and am trying to use it to market. 
Since its been awhile since I wrote this post thought I should double check with Citrix to see if they ...
Also any VNC viewer like the free Ultra VNC Viewer will allow multiple participants to share control of the same ...
Yeah good post considering this is not only good for bloggers, but people in college, business, and has many other ...
Hello I have just found your page and read your Hush Puppy story, I am in the middle of trying ...
Regardless of the exact solution chosen, I think it's really important to have some sort of pedestrian crossing (not underground). ...
Hi, it is just shy of three months since we received Lee's e-mail. I can tell you for sure this ...