FAILURE BECOMES SUCCESS THROUGH PERSISTENCE AND AN OPTIMISTIC ATTITUDE

It can be so easy to let failure be your ending.  I know there have been times when I’ve started to doubt my ability to accomplish something.  But it’s important to see your failure, accept it, learn something from it, and then keep pushing forward.  It’s important because success is often right around the corner of Failure Street and Pessimism Avenue.  A quick internet search will reveal countless examples of success won after numerous failures.

Kevin Cronin, singer for REO Speedwagon, frequently relates his experience trying to get signed by a record label.  The music executive that listened to the demo tape turned Cronin down.  With persistence and optimism, Cronin kept pushing on.  Eventually, 3 of the 5 songs on the demo tape became top 10 hits, two of which hit #1.  It is entirely possible that Cronin’s demo tape and musical abilities were not worthy of a record label.  But instead of calling it quits he pushed forward with determination and an optimistic attitude, and made success happen.

I am a huge advocate of starting an exercise program as the first step towards success.  A regular exercise routine teaches us that failure can ALWAYS be overcome.  If you want to bench press 300 pounds you will fail numerous times.  But each failure will most certainly bring you closer and closer to 300 pounds.  You probably will start with 100 pounds, lift it a few times, add more weight, lift it a few times, and eventually get all tired out well before 300 pounds arrives.  Wait a week and try again.  Odds are you will be able to lift a little bit more weight than the last time.  Maybe you start with 110 pounds instead of 100.  The fact is that every time you are benching less than 300 you are failing, but without that failure you will never gain the strength needed to reach 300 pounds.  This same principle applies to all exercises.  It truly even applies to ANYTHING you do.

Start seeing your failures as bringing you closer to success.  Start seeing them as essential, because if you are not failing you are probably not really trying anyways.  Instead of giving up when you fail, look at it the way Henry Ford suggests: 

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” 

So next time you find yourself at the corner of Failure Street and Pessimism Avenue, turn onto Optimism Way and proceed with determination.