We Will Never Succeed More Than We Fail
“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” — Napoleon Hill
How do you define success? Think about your answer over the overcoming paragraphs, since what we believe constitutes success may not be entirely true. For example, most people believe that success is about winning and avoiding failures, whereas in fact, it is the opposite.
I was watching the American television presenter Steve Harvey, recently, who said: “I have failed far more times than I have succeeded. You will never succeed more than you fail… That’s just not how it works. I’ve pitched over 200 show ideas in Hollywood, out of those 200 they have picked 5 in 33 years of pitching.”
So what Harvey is telling us is that his success rate within the last 33 years of pitching ideas to Hollywood is 2.5%. Yet, he is one of the most successful television presenters and comedians, with a net worth of $200 million.
To present a similar example, consider the following quote from the basketball legend Michael Jordan: “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Do you get the sense that success is not about achieving repeated wins, but rather not giving up until we reach our goals or dreams? How about you? Have you experienced success that changed your life?
I’m not talking about fame or financial windfalls, but the success we experience in our health, relationships, career, or finances. The one common denominator, as Steve Harvey points out, is that we will never succeed more than we fail; and that’s a good thing. We can work diligently towards our goal to increase our chances of achieving success.
Failure Sharpens The Saw Of Our Character
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” — Winston Churchill
In a documentary hosted by David Attenborough, a pride of lions living in Africa was followed by a camera crew over twelve months. Attenborough mentions that a lion will fail 9 times out of 10 when hunting prey. A lot can go wrong during a kill, which forces the lion to abandon the hunt.
Therefore, it will try more often to feed itself and the pride. Success is the same, where it requires commitment and perseverance to achieve our goals. Even then, there are no assurances we will prevail. It takes a strong mindset to achieve success because repeated failures and setbacks can significantly impact our self-esteem.
Has this happened to you with a goal, whether it be personal or professional? Based on my experience coaching people over the years, it is rare to meet someone who possesses the resilience to persevere in the face of defeat. We need to have a powerful vision for our lives if we want to achieve success. The failures and setbacks will stop us in our tracks if we are not committed to our goals.
To paint another example, the Navy SEAL BUD/S program is designed to weed out those unfit to serve on the front line. The attrition rate is 80% or higher, and that is just the selection process to get into the program.
The attrition rate is high because the program selects only those who are mentally, emotionally, and physically skilled at frontline warfare. I appreciate our lives are not as demanding as the Navy Seals entrance program, but success has a high attrition rate because of the resiliency required.
According to the American author Stephen Covey, failure sharpens the saw of our character because it boosts our personal growth. Covey spoke of the need to establish strong habits, which is why he called it “sharpening the saw.
Success Leaves Clues
“Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.” — Zig Ziglar
Would you agree that success is largely about who we become in the face of defeat? Zig Ziglar said, “It’s your attitude, not your aptitude, that will determine your altitude.” Those we regard as successful have accumulated a lifetime of personal growth to achieve their current status.
When I read their biographies, the common denominator is the setbacks they experienced, such as repeated failures, delays, and insurmountable odds, which they overcame to reach the pinnacle of their field.
The thing that stands out is their strength of character and the resiliency upon which they create their life. We will fail and fail often if we wish to achieve any form of success. Moreover, we can examine our failures to see whether we are growing in proportion to them.
However, we mustn’t consider ourselves a failure because failing is not indicative of our self-worth. Failure is a signpost that we are trying, and the more we try, the greater our chances of succeeding. It bears repeating: we must do the work to have any chance of success. We’ve got to be in the arena doing the gritty work no one else sees or will praise us for.
Knowing this, I invite you to consider an area of your life where you are hoping to succeed. What do you think is holding you back? Economic conditions, lack of motivation, or something else. Think of it like this: Imagine a group of deep-sea divers. Some return with wonderful treasures, while others come back empty-handed, blaming the murky waters. Yet, they all dove into the same ocean. The ocean didn’t discriminate; it offered its waters to everyone equally. What truly differed was their approach and persistence.
The point I wish to make is that even during a global economic crisis, successful individuals thrive, and we can use that as a catalyst to propel us forward. So, take out your journal and write 3 to 5 recent failures you experienced, whether personal or professional. What have you learnt from them? Write about how you can use the growth to succeed in the future.
There’s a well-known quote attributed to Tony Robbins, who said, “Success leaves clues.” So what clues is success leaving you? Could it be that your failures are sharpening the saw of your character? Journal your answers and take an introspective look within yourself to see where the opportunities exist. After all, you will never succeed more than you fail because life shapes us into the person we wish to become, when success finally arrives on our doorstep.”
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Tony Fahkry
Expert Life Coach
