Have you ever noticed how the stories of tremendously successful people begin when they hit absolute bottom? Well, maybe they didn’t start there, but they often emphasize and even credit a particular failure or period of despair as the moment which galvanized their resolve and catapulted them toward their dreams.

The most inspiring ascents to success always seem to clamber through deep chasms of failure.

You Can’t Succeed Until You Know How To Fail!

This fact hits like a ton of bricks. We’ve all been taught that failure is the opposite of what you want in business. (Don’t worry, it still is.) But, it kind of makes you feel cheated if you’ve worked so hard at success and never failed.

How can failure help you climb to new heights?

Now, before you wonder, “Am I a failure BECAUSE I haven’t failed?”  The answer is a resounding ‘not exactly’.  The ugly truth is that you are bound to fail, especially if you don’t know what failure looks like.

You’ve no doubt read many books or heard ‘gurus’ preaching the value of clearly defined goals and in defining YOUR image of success. You do need a destination, after all.

What they are not telling you is, having a clear perception of failure is just as important as defining your concept of success. How else will you know where along the path you are, between failure and success, and in which direction you’re moving?

Staring Failure in the Face

With these two images clearly in mind, you are more apt to recognize the small mistakes and missteps which take you toward failure and away from your goal, your target, your summit. You are better prepared to understand the value in the lesson that each mistake provides. These mistakes will have less of an impact in deterring you from reaching your summit. You become a stronger climber because your clear perception of failure will guide you more directly to the top.

Take The Failure Challenge

So now what? How can you use this revelation to your advantage? Use this simple, three-step exercise to clarify your ‘failure story’.

1.    Define What Failure Means To You (be specific)

• Homelessness not required.  — In my opinion, if you move backward financially, that’s a level of failure.
• Hold yourself responsible for minimum, acceptable actions and results. If you don’t achieve them, then you’ve begun to fail.
• Consider non-monetary failure thresholds.
• (For me, failure means not having the time freedom to be home when my daughter gets off her school bus.)

2.    Plan a Failure Escape Route

• When you find yourself on a failure path (sometimes you will), you need a quick way to stop your downward slide.
• What will you do to rapidly change direction?
• (The astute will be thinking, “Hmm, if my ‘escape plan’ results in a guaranteed positive direction, then why don’t I follow the plan on a regular basis?”)

3.    Update Your Failure Definition

• As you climb to new levels of success, refine your failure story.
• Move the threshold higher to minimize future declines.
• Never accept a long slide backward!

With regular evaluation of achievements and ‘failure story’ revisions, you will stay on track and reach your summit!

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Robert

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