There are numerous examples of how failure helped a person become better, make more of their life, and achieve real success.
Fundamentally, however, we are not taught to embrace failure in any shape or form. In fact our entire mindset from childhood is molded to eschew any failure.
Of course, failure can hurt your pride and lower your self-confidence. And, no one ever plans to fail. The promoter of every new business, never plans to fail. They start their business with great motivation and enthusiasm, which leads to an expectation of success. But, the reality is that if they do not complement passion with strategy, there is a likelihood of failure.
Most people are conditioned to avoid failure. If there is a slightest hint of a catastrophe on the horizon, they spiral into insecurity, which sets off a chain reaction of panic and fear. When this happens, failure does not become a learning experience, but morphs into a painful episode.
I am not recommending failure as an alternate to success. There is no need to go chasing defeat. But remember what Albert Einstein once said, “Failure is success in progress.”
What does this mean?
In simple terms, if you do not attempt something, you are not going to fail at it. But, failure is often a consequence of trying. I have failed as an executive, as well as in business ventures in the past. I also understand that there is no guarantee of success in any of my future endeavours. But if I had avoided trying, I would have learnt nothing, and hardly grown.
By learning from my past mistakes, I now have insights into how to operate my businesses in a way that minimizes the risk of failure. The best education I have had, has come from my failures. It is through failure that I have become proficient in how to manage my emotions, stay focused, think strategically and act with integrity. My failures have also helped me overcome fear.
Ralph Heath, author of ‘Celebrating Failure: The Power of Taking Risks, Making Mistakes and Thinking Big’ observes that while defeat is integral to learning, most people, particularly those in conservative corporate cultures do not want to go there. He goes on to say, “Instead, they choose to play it safe, to fly below the radar, repeating the same safe choices over and over again. They operate under the belief that if they make no waves, they attract no attention; no one will yell at them for failing because they generally never attempt anything great at which they could possibly fail.”
In his book, Heath explains that the modern age requires companies to be competitive, and for this to happen, leaders and executives need to be innovative and take risks. As such, failure is simply a common byproduct. And the executives in the most progressive corporations in the world do not cry over their mistakes but instead convert them into future gains. Heath concludes that, “…the quickest road to success is to possess an attitude toward failure of ‘no fear.’
I also know that failure can create great change in people, and build character. What comes out of failure is entirely yours to experience. Some ‘grow’ from failure, while others become downtrodden.
Success only comes when you value-add. Every action of yours has to add value to yourself, your family, your company, your community, your nation and the world at large. Does this sound like a pie-in-the-sky notion? Think about it. Why do you work? And what do you get paid for? Understand that your current income is in direct proportion to your perceived value. So if you are not satisfied with how much you are getting paid, then you need to become more valuable.
How do you add value? Live with purpose, be determined, but most important of all, by having strong character. And, my experience is that learning from your failures strengthens your character more than anything else. The right approach to failure will forge your personality and career.
I was looking for examples of people who have grown from earlier failure, and in my research I chanced upon an article in the New Straits Times from a few years ago. It was about a friend of mine, Professor Dr. Suresh Kumar Govind. He was (and still is) a professor tropical medicine and parasitology at Universiti Malaya.
Prof Suresh has, over the past 25 years, done pioneering work in the field of Blastocystis. Blastocystis is a protozoan parasite known to cause diarrhoea, stomach bloating and other gastro-intestinal symptoms. And he has won local and international accolades, from the National Young Scientist Award to the Geneva International Innovation Gold Medal for his research.
Aside from his ground-breaking work as a scientist, he is also an accomplished playwright, social worker and member of the National Unity Council.
But all the successful results in his life were built on the back of failure.
Prof. Suresh relates in this article, that in 1980 he failed his Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) examinations with very poor results in mathematics and chemistry. He re-sat the exam and failed once again. His career guidance counsellor at school told him to never consider tertiary education in the sciences. He was told to get out and find job more suited to his non-scientific temperament.
He despaired, because it was his father’s dream for him to become a doctor.
The emotion to fulfill his father’s desire was so strong, that after some soul-searching, Prof Suresh cast aside this failure, and forged ahead on the path of science, contrary to all the advice he was given. He enrolled in a private college to study for a diploma and bachelor’s degree in science. And he passed, signaling that he must have worked very hard on his mathematics and chemistry. He then joined the Institute of Medical Research as a research assistant. There, with the right mentor, he got interested in parasitology and worked strategically enough to obtain bursaries for a post graduate diploma and a master’s degree. Eventually, his sterling research led to him being offered a scholarship to pursue a doctorate.
Prof Suresh says that the proudest moment in his life was when his parents attended his doctoral graduation ceremony. Prof Suresh’s advice was “If a hapless individual like myself could pick himself up and do it, anybody can”.
I have always believed that failure can either debilitate or motivate. What is your choice?