Lesson #4 – Don’t Be Afraid To Fail

Rick used to tell us, “If you aren’t failing at least once a day, you aren’t trying hard enough.” I’ve heard Woody Allen put it like this, “If you don’t fail now and again, it’s a sign you are playing it safe.” Notice that the difference between Rick and Woody comes in the frequency of failure. Rick said “once a day!” That’s a lot more failing than “now and again.” But both of these successful men, from completely different walks of life, understand the importance of this universal principle – Failure begets success. The more often you fail at something new, the more you are growing.

I like to tell my staff, “I expect you to fail at something new every day.” Now, if they are failing at the same thing every day, we have a problem. But if they are actually failing at something new every day, I just might promote them. Why? Because that’s evidence that they are pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones. They are proving their willingness to take on new challenges.

What have you failed at today? What did you fail at yesterday? If you can’t think of anything, maybe it’s time to stretch yourself a little. Do something new. Push past what you know. Try harder than you’ve ever tried. Go ahead… fail! When you do, you will be putting yourself on the path to great effectiveness and success.

- Nelson