Failure Is Okay (If The Ultimate Destination Is Success)

Everyone loves winning. It's almost what we all live for. The media is replete with success stories of people who have won despite great odds. This is good. However, the more people focus on winning, the less value they give to their failures.

Even The Best Fail

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In a world that only focus on success stories, there are plenty of failures to go round. A major ingredient of success is the ability to manage failure. Even the best success stories often recount episodes of failure.

The problem with the media representation of success is that they give the idea that failure is nothing to an innovator. Read the latest motivational book or listen to that inspiring podcast; the story is the same. They say failure is just a phase, a challenge that every successful person must overcome

Sometimes The Best Thing To Do Is To Quit

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It's true that one should never give up on pursuits. However, there are times when giving up is the best recourse. For instance, imagine running a company that keeps running into loss. Popular culture would tell you to keep trying when it's visibly obvious that nothing is working out. You read books and listen to speakers who regal you with stories of how they kept on despite continuous loss. Maybe they could afford to keep on, but sometimes you can't.

I am not advocating that one should quit at the slightest sign of challenges. I'm saying one must be pragmatic in making decisions. No two individuals are the same. The challenges that helped make one individual could break another.

Sometimes it takes failure in one aspect of our lives for us to focus on other aspects. I remember when I was about entering College. Dad wanted me to become a doctor. It was the craze of the moment. So I found myself in science class but I couldn't keep up. I immediately moved to the arts and I'm glad I did. I hear stories of how people failed in science courses and still became great doctors and surgeons. Good for them. However, I don't feel inferior in anyway. I failed in science class and I've got no shame about that.

The End Goal Is Success, But Be Prepared To Take Some Losses

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As every successful person would acknowledge, there are some challenges you simply cannot overcome, some weaknesses you simply have to accept and move on. Married folks would tell you of relationships that didn't work out. Innovators would tell you of great ideas that didn't see the light of day. Even great musicians often switch from one genre to another until they find their true north. Everyone has always had to take a loss.

Ultimately, the difference between successful people and those who aren't is the ability to fail and learn from failures. The greatest winners are innovators. the greatest writers try everything. The greatest Chefs try to borrow from a variety of styles. Forget what popular culture tells you, no one ever makes it easily.

Failure Is Okay (If The Ultimate Destination Is Success)

My point is simple. It's okay to fail. It's okay to feel like the stupid one after a test. It's okay to have a failed relationship as long as the goal is to become a better partner. It's okay to fail as long as you have success in sights

On a second thought, what do you think? 🤔