Failure is a Gift

Man rubbing his eyes outside train station

Failure a gift? What a strange combination, the words “gift” and “failure” linked together in one brief statement. At first glance, it seems completely contradictory.

Gifts, of course, are generally positive. We give and receive them on happy occasions. They can convey love, appreciation, or gratitude. Of course, there are other gifts, less tangible, but even more important: our time, talents, encouragement, compassion, kindness, and love.

Failure, on the other hand, suggests a much different story. Let’s look at some of the synonyms for failure: default, delinquency, breakdown, shortage, and deterioration.

We become acquainted with failure early in life. Students fail exams. Candidates fail to win elections. Everything from automobile brakes to Broadway plays routinely fail. People fail to pay their taxes. Hearts, lungs, livers, eyesight, and numerous other body parts fail all the time.

Throughout our lives, we’ve been conditioned to connect failure with something negative. Failure, however, need not be either fatal or final. The trick is to always find a new route born from failure.

This quote by Walter Brunell sums it up pretty well: “Failure is the tuition you pay for success.” Despite all the education, I’ve been a failure again and again. Fortunately for me, I keep finding new and innovative ways to fail.

My gift of failure started early. But for my repeated failures, I wouldn’t have known or appreciated the belief in self that comes from getting up over and over again, dusting myself off, and pressing on. I can say with certainty that I’ve learned far more from my failures than from any small success.

I’d once entertained thoughts of owning a restaurant. I knew nothing about restaurant operations, so I thought it would be less risky to start out with hot dog stands. I bought five of them, and in the winter in Phoenix, Arizona, they did really well — in the summer, however, not so much. The hot dog stands were a huge failure — but that didn’t stop me. Since then, I’ve started, invested in, and owned, or continue to own, a number of businesses.

One common denominator fit a lot of my earlier ventures, at least initially: I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Prior to earning an MBA, the only business class I’d ever taken was typing (which I nearly failed) in high school. Hence, I operated on a purely gut-level instinct and made lots and lots of mistakes.

But I learned — and learning is the key. The point is this: If you approach failure as simply a hurdle to jump or an event from which you can learn, failing isn’t so bad. In fact, it may lead to your next success. If you’re willing to learn, willing to take risks, 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. The wisdom gained through failure is both incontrovertible and invaluable. Despite this, neither people nor organizations seem to handle it well.

In today’s complex society, failure is inevitable. The key is to fail fast, fail intelligently, learn, and press on. When you feel you can no longer go on and you want to quit, realize that you may be just a few inches/days/dollars from success.

You can learn more about entrepreneurship by following me on LinkedIn, listening to my podcast, or purchasing my book, Entrepreneur Rx.

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Doctor | Entrepreneur

Throughout all of his endeavors, John has maintained a relentless drive to help people rescript their future and reach their full potential.John earned his Bachelor of Arts from Drake University…

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