Is it better to fail or to not try at all? I think if you asked most people, they would pick failure. Not because they want to fail, but only because that’s what they’ve always been told. We all know you can’t accomplish anything without trying. But if that’s true, why is it so easy to not try? How is it that we can stand by and let so many of our dreams float by like clouds rather than trying to accomplish something? Failure is built into every great success story. If you don’t fail, you don’t succeed.
Have you ever took the time to really think about what it means to fail? What is it that makes failing a good thing? Maybe the simple fact that one failed attempt means you are at least one attempt closer to meeting your goal.
Have you ever thought about whether you fail enough? If you’re not regularly failing, you are not reaching your full potential. We all have a level we can maintain in life without a lot of effort. One’s happiness with their state of being makes it easy for them to not try. If we’re not trying to do our best in life, then we’re doing nothing more than soaking in a tepid pool of mediocrity.
How can you reach your true potential if you’re not reaching for the stars? If you’re not trying to do those things that are just out of touch, how can you reach your maximum potential? You’ll never find out how far you can go unless you try.
Every time you try to do something but fail, you learn something. If nothing else, you learn what not to do next time. The lessons from numerous failures will often lead you to the path of success. The lessons you learn from failure are also lessons that will act as a defense against failure in later endeavors. Failing prepares you for the future.
Many people hate failing. They don’t recognize the value of the lessons that come from failing. Many people think that successful people are just lucky or extraordinarily talented, and everything they have came to them without setbacks and hard work. No person reaches his or her true potential without hard work and the corresponding setbacks caused by failure. If success for you means reaching your true potential in life, then you must accept the fact that you will have to fail before you succeed. To fail, you have to try.
What do you have left to do in your life to be a success? The true definition of success is specific to the person. The formula for success is the same for everybody. All you have to do is try. It’s easier said than done. Try something today.
Try something that scares you. Try something that gets you one step closer to where you want to be. Be willing to fail. If you’re not willing to fail, you’re never going to win. That’s true for everybody, especially those of us way up in the CHEAP SEATS!
Bill James is a co-founder of the James Law Firm with offices in Little Rock, Conway and Fayetteville, Arkansas. His primary area of practice is criminal defense. He can be contacted at Bill@JamesFirm.com