Failure a gift? At first glance, it seems completely contradictory.
How can there be anything positive about failure? Is there really a way to "rise from your ashes" of failure? Gifts, of course, are generally positive. Failure, on the other hand, suggests a much different story.
Throughout our lives, we've been conditioned to connect failure with something negative. Failure, however, need not be either fatal or final. Walter Brunell said, "Failure is the tuition you pay for success." When your child makes a mistake, consider saying lovingly (with a smile) to him or her, "Great mistake! What have you learned from that experience?"
If you're willing to learn, willing to risk, and willing to either conduct serious reflection or accept criticism from others, failure is a necessary ingredient of success. Failure has many wonderful and valuable lessons to teach us; successful people learn that failure is not a dead-end street but just a detour along the highway to success.
Bottom line: It's only when you ‘push the envelope’ that you discover your limits. Without raising the bar or pushing the envelope, you'll likely never fail at much and thus never get to make lasting contributions.
Source: John Shufeldt: ‘Ingredients of Outliers: A Recipe For Personal Achievement’
Business Tips
The Gift of Failure
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- Parent Category: Business Tips
- Category: Self-Motivation & Awareness
