Fail Successfully

I recall a study where many people believed they failed more than half the time. No matter how hard they tried, things seemed to turn out all wrong? If you believe this is like your situation, read on as we want to discuss thoughts about failing successfully.

There are countless stories of people who struggled in business but with persistence became highly successful. There are so many models I am sure many examples come to mind. Some good examples can be found in numerous books. One such book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey but that contains a lot more detail for this short piece. We will take it to the most basic concept of success – eliminate the fear of failure!

One of the reasons people became successful is the same reason that professional athletes become successful. Consider one or the most prolific sluggers in the history of baseball. Tyrus Raymond (Ty) Cobb, the Georgia Peach, played at the professional level for 24 years.

If you look in the baseball record books, you will find that Cobb's lifetime average was.367. That means he got a hit once every three times he came to bat. This equates to a 63% failure rate! It is a similar story for players like Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, and hundreds of other athletes over history, as well as for virtually every other successful person in the world.

Ty Cobb, who retired as a player in 1928, still owns the highest batting average of all players. Many people still rate Cobb as the best all-around baseball player that ever lived. Check out his stats which supports the claim. One thing is for sure, Cobb had a burning desire to win. “I never could stand losing,” he said. “Second place didn’t interest me. I had a fire in my belly.”.

The hallmark is that highly successful people are not afraid to try something new, set aggressive goals, and are committed to achieve success. The possibility of failure exists but they are willing to take that chance. In fact, the only real failure is not trying at all. It turns out that people really do not remember the times Ty Cobb did not get a hit, Babe Ruth swung and missed, Stan Musial did not drive the runner home from 3rd base, that sales goals were not made, or initial product designs failed. Those failures have been lost to time!

Have you heard of the term "writer's block," where the writer cannot seem to put words to paper? It has often been said that this comes about because the writer is trying to be perfect, with every word. The perceived need to be "perfect" puts such restrictions on the mind that it just gives up. Get rid of the need to be perfect, right off the mark, and your creative ideas come roaring through!

Failure is perceived as a negative aspect of life, but highly successful people believe that failure is good. Failing means that you tried something new, and the results will teach you valuable lessons that make future success possible. Another aspect of failure that falls into the beliefs of successful people is that no one cares about or remembers your failures, so do not carry them with you. Learn and move on quickly.

The fact is that successful people try more things more often than average people try. Whether it is playing baseball or building a business, if you try enough things, you are going to succeed - a lot! One other thing is certain: If you do not try anything, you are guaranteed to fail. So, go for it! What do you have to lose?