Art Price, a friend from work, introduced me to a new term as a joke, but it has become a hard fast rule. We go along in life doing good work and maybe we get an “atta-boy” from our boss or a co-worker. One day something bad happens and we have an “aw-shit” moment. We screwed up. Did you ever notice that it takes only one “aw-shit” to erase ten “atta-boys?” Why is that? Why is it that people tend to remember those “aw-shit” moments and forget about all the “atta-boys” we’ve accumulated along the way?
I like to believe that I get “aw-shits” by trying hard. The more work I do the better the chances are that I will occasionally fail. The failure does not mean that I am a failure, it only means that I tried something that didn’t work. It is human nature to play up the negative. Why? I haven’t a clue. Maybe one of you can fill me in. In his life time, while working on the light bulb, Thomas Edison tried over five thousand filaments that failed When asked by a reporter if it was time to give up after failing five thousand times he replied. “I have not failed, I have identified five thousand things that don’t work.” Thank God he didn’t give up. We might still be using candles to light our homes.
Filed under: Motivation | Tagged: failure, goals, success |
Wisdom comes from Experience. Experience comes from things not working out as planned.
Good point. Recollect reading about J K Rowling saying at a college passing out speech that failure is not the opposite of success, it is a part of success, based on her own struggles.
Good points Joe! We learn the most from our failures and they provide motivation for us to continue the development so we can reach success in the end!
Had similar experience. Many folks have expressed guilt and tolerated condemnation and ridicule. They usually had nothing to do with any of it. I encourage them to take heart because since the day I was born the word claims all misfortune since the beginning of time is “my fault” so they can ignore the nasties.