We have two ways that we learn: Mistakes and Mentors! Both are essential to our growth and success, but we tend to avoid one (mistakes) and dismiss the other (mentors). Let’s look at mistakes today. If I told you that everything we were taught in school about making mistakes was wrong, would you believe me? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unless you went to a very progressive school that embraced mistakes, you were most likely told that errors are bad. Please sit down because we are going to turn your world upside down! The best possible advice I can tell you today is to make as many mistakes as possible, as fast as you can make them! After each one, write down at least one thing that you learned. Can you imagine trying to learn to ride a bike, play a sport, or build a business without making any mistakes? After each mistake, we make a new attempt, and with each attempt we learn new ways to avoid the same mistakes the next time. These lessons will become the stepping stones that pave the way for success on a larger scale. You cannot enjoy great success without great failure. The bigger the success you are going after, the more mistakes you will have to make because more stepping stones are needed in the foundation. The only bad mistake is the one we keep repeating without learning! Mistakes are beautiful as long as we rebound, stronger and better educated.
A number of years ago, I failed in a business venture and lost everything. That failure has become my greatest opportunity for future success. My associates and I learned some incredible principles about business that we did not know. This “education” was very expensive, but I would not trade what we learned because of the failure. Over time, the failure transformed into success. John Maxwell, the bestselling author and speaker, said it this way: “Fail Early, Fail often, and Fail forward.” Maxwell’s book Failing Forward was instrumental in our financial recovery.
What are you avoiding because of the fear of failure? What excuse are you making to yourself right now as to why you can’t do something? These will either become your life’s mountains under which you camp out, giving family and friends guided tours, or they will become your stepping stones to success! Each failure brings you one step closer to your desired goal because hidden within each failure is a treasure that you must find. Without failure, there is no action. All action will eventually lead to failure and all failure that we learn from and try again better educated will lead to success! Get off the bench and in the game, and start failing as often as possible. The world needs to see you succeed! Find your Passion and you will find your life!