Thursday, October 19, 2006

Failure-The Boat Motor of Success

Today, I want to talk to you about failure.

John Ortberg, the Senior Pastor at
Menlo Park Presbyterian Church sums up the emotions of the word “failure” better than anyone I’ve ever heard. He said, “Failure is not an event. It is a judgment about an event.” He even goes further to look at specific people in history to show that some of the most “successful” people in the world were wrought with failure all through their lives:


  • Jonas Salk took over 200 attempts to create a polio vaccine. Was Jonas Salk a failure?
  • Thomas Edison took over 10,000 attempts to create a light bulb. Was Thomas Edison a failure?
  • Winston Churchill flunked the second grade. Was Winston Churchill a failure?
  • Abraham Lincoln failed in business twice, filed for bankruptcy, lost elections for state legislature and for congress. Was Abraham Lincoln a failure?
  • The Chicago Cubs have not been in a World Series in 61 years and have not won a World Series in 98 years. Are the Chicago Cubs a failure?
He concludes by saying that his beloved Cubs are not “failures” but have merely experienced what he calls “widely spaced greatness.” Hey, I got a kick out of that one...

In my studies of failure, I’ve learned that there are two basic “old beliefs” of failure and one radical new belief.
Many people cling to the belief that one can either “succeed” or “fail” but they cannot do both—that success and failures are “destinations” that you can arrive at, much like a train arrives at a station or a plane can arrive at an airport.

In 1954, a book was published with the title God’s Formula for Success and Prosperity. This book was compiled by noted evangelical pastor
Oral Roberts and several other authors. In this book we find the following story that supports the idea of “failure is the opposite of success”

The Two Customers: Failure and Success

I have learned that every day of our lives we have two prospective customers who come to do business with us. One of these customers is called “Success” and the other is called “Failure.” Both of them have very attractive offers to make us. In the trial of my faith, referred to in the preceding paragraph, Failure came with a very attractive offer.

He said, “You are against the wall. You can go no further. You have tried and you have failed. Now I am here to take your burdens off you. I will take your business out of your hands and I will take the load off your back. You can give up everything, settle our accounts, get out of debt, get yourself a job, and go to work and support your family, and then all of your troubles will be over.”

I admit that this offer was attractive. The idea of getting out from under that $100,000 delinquent indebtedness was a very attractive proposition. But before I settled with Failure, Success came along and made me this offer. On the surface it was not nearly as attractive as the other that Failure made me.

Success said something like this, “I am here to help you, to see you through, to bring you out on top, but it is going to take a lot more hard work on your part. It is going to take more waiting, more believing, more keeping your chin up, and facing your creditors with a steady eye and a confident voice. It is going to take more faith in God, but if you will hold on I will see you through. I will bring you out on top.”

In spite of the fact that Success demanded harder work out of me, I decided to accept his offer, and to trade with success instead of failure. So I started out to make provisions to succeed. I refused to make provisions for failure.

Here again is a principle I must not overlook in giving you my story. The average person makes far more provisions to fail that he makes to succeed. He goes out in life in a business venture or in some other calling. When he starts out he begins to plan what he is going to do if he fails. He plans to fail, but he does not build a place in which to store his goods if he succeeds. Since God had promised me success and prosperity, I resolved I would make no provisions for failure, but I would make every provision for success.


This belief from 1954 is just as common a belief today—that “failure” and “success” are opposites—that one is favorable and the other is not. Many, many people hold fast to this belief because it has worked for them over the years.

But just because something has worked well over the years doesn’t mean that it can’t be improved upon, right?

Old Belief #2: Failure is the price of success.

Sales trainer
Tom Hopkins teaches us:
• To never see failure as failure but as a learning experience.
• To never see failure as failure but as the negative feedback we need to change course in our direction.
• To never see failure as failure, but as the opportunity to practice our techniques and perfect our performance.
• To never see failure as failure but the opportunity to develop our sense of humor.
• To never see failure as failure but as the game we must play to win.

Motivational author
Napoleon Hill teaches us that one can overcome failure through persistence.

Four Steps to Persistence
1. A definite purpose backed by burning desire for its fulfillment
2. A definite plan, expressed in continuous action
3. A mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences, including negative suggestions of relatives, friends, and acquaintances
4. A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose
--Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich, page 184

Mr. Hill also gives a very unique perspective on failure, where he says on page 174 of his book,Those who have cultivated the habit of persistence seem to enjoy insurance against failure.”

Note well that “insurance against failure” does not mean that you will not fail. For example, owning car insurance does not keep one from getting in a automobile accident, it merely fixes everything once you do wreck your car! Likewise, the habit of persistence does not prevent failure but will help you to overcome it faster.

This second belief has also served many well. However, I propose a new radical belief about failure. And actually, I’m not the first to say this new radical belief—but I certainly believe it is true.

New Radical Belief: Failure is an Essential Requirement for Success

Noted leadership expert
Dr. John C. Maxwell has a great attitude about failure. In his book Developing the Leader Within You he tells the following story:

“A wise philosopher once commented that an eagle’s only obstacle to overcome for flying with greater speed and ease is the air. Yet, if the air were withdrawn, and the proud bird were to fly in a vacuum, it would fall instantly to the ground, unable to fly at all. The very element that offers resistance to flying is at the same time the condition for flight.

The main obstacle that a powerboat has to overcome is the water against the propeller, yet, if it were not for this same resistance, the boat would not move at all.

The same law, that obstacles are conditions of success, holds true in human life. A life free of all obstacles and difficulties would reduce all possibilities and powers to zero.”

Think of this radical concept—Failure is as much a part of success as flour is an ingredient for baking a cake! Without failure, there can be no success! Without failure, there is nothing to push off of. Without failure, there is no grip. Without failure, there is no possibility.

Without failure, there is no power.

And without power, success is unachievable.

Think about it. With no obstacles to overcome, what would you have success over? Why would anyone climb Mount Everest if anyone could do it? Why would anyone go to the Moon if anyone could do it? Why would anyone win the sales contest or score the touchdown or cook the gourmet meal if there was nothing to it? The mere possibility of failure is what makes success so sweet and savory.

Without failure, there can be no success.

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