TRTC - Failure IS an Option
“Tis a lesson you should heed:
Try, try, try again.
If at first you don’t succeed,
Try, try, try again.”
- W.E. Hickson
The origin of this poem dates to 1836, but some would argue, the essence of this poem has its roots in the 14th century Scottish King, Robert the Bruce. Legend has it that after being defeated in battle, Robert disappeared into a cave, and while there, became inspired by a spider’s tenacity to build and rebuild his web, each time it was destroyed. Whomever is responsible for this poem, ask any child to finish the sentence, “if at first you don’t succeed” and you’ll be pressed to find one who cannot. If we’ve been groomed to believe failure is not an option, why as adults, do we give up so easily on our goals?
Business strategists, psychologists, and even Jeff Bezos say failure is the beginning of innovation, change, and growth. Walt Disney was once told he lacked creativity. J.K. Rowling was rejected by twelve publishers. Steve Jobs was fired from the company he started. Sir James Dyson spent 15 years and had 5,126 failed prototypes before he found success. Instead of being paralyzed by fear, embrace failure as your teacher, because YOU ARE GOING TO FAIL. How you deal with the failure makes all the difference.
How to Start: Learn to Embrace Failure
Set the expectation, at some point, you will mess up, get derailed, or fall flat on your face. Here are 5 benefits of failure to remind you to try, try, try again.
1. Failure teaches you something. If weight loss is one of your goals, you will learn that habitually eating Ho-Ho’s and Ding Dongs will set you up for failure. Real weight loss happens when you habitually choose foods aligned with your desired outcomes.
2. Failure shows you there is more than one way to skin a cat. If you get locked out of your house, you’ll try sliding doors, windows, and garage doors to see if there is a way in. It’s not always through the front door.
3. Failure builds character. In the words of Rocky Balboa, “You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Every time you get up and dust yourself off, you build coping skills that last forever.
4. Failure can help you evaluate the importance of a goal. If your goals are of high value, you will find a way to make it happen. For example, if your goal is to save money, you will delay the impulse buy to reap the benefit of a larger bank account later. Termed the Marshmallow Effect, your ability to delay gratification is crucial to your success. If it isn’t, each failure will bring more clarity of its importance. Here’s a link to help explain this in detail: https://jamesclear.com/delayed-gratification.
5. Failure can change who you are. Here’s a personal story. Four years ago, we conducted a 360-performance review with our staff. A 360-degree performance review is a process through which feedback from an employee's subordinates, colleagues, and supervisor, as well as a self-evaluation by the employee themselves is gathered (Wikipedia). It was the first time in my professional life where embarrassment and shame flooded my body. There was one person, whom I refer to as my change agent, who showed true vulnerability and spoke his truth. This was the catalyst for my personal growth journey.
Your next step: Take two of your intentions and describe how failure can help you be successful. Share them in the 2021 Challenge group on Trainerize or simply write them down in your journal. Remember, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again!