“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed”
So said Theodore Roosevelt.
And I believe him.
Fear keeps us from trying. It encourages us to stay put; it’s the voice that whispers in our ear, it’s not worth the risk, that it’s better not to try than to fail.
The secret of never failing lies in the way you perceive the situation. You may ask then, “What is the usefulness of a fall?”
If you see falling as a failure, then it is a failure, and the usefulness of the fall is typically associated with failure. You can view failure as a stigma, and this can of course be dismaying. But if you see the fall as one of a series of steps along the journey to fulfilling your dream and a stepping-stone toward your success, then it is no longer perceived as a failure. It becomes a part of success rather than failure.
Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was fired from his first two jobs for being “nonproductive.” As an inventor, Edison made one thousand unsuccessful attempts at inventing the lightbulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail one thousand times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail one thousand times. The lightbulb was an invention with one thousand steps.”
There are times in life when we need to risk all to follow our dreams and let go of the aspects of life that feel comfortable and familiar. Otherwise, we risk the danger of forfeiting an opportunity and living a life filled with regrets.
What are you afraid of? Is it some past failure that is keeping you stuck? Is it something real or imaginary?
Remember, our minds cannot differentiate between the two.
What’s holding you back? What if you took the leap? Would it lead you toward or away from further happiness?
Now is the only sphere of life you can live in – not the past… not the future… just the present.
The past is memory that nourishes your now…
The future is the vision that makes your now meaningful.
Knowing this then would it not be in your best interest to take a chance?
Remember fear is the body’s way of protecting us from real or perceived threats but has no root in reality. Instead, live from a state of constant curiosity and see every failure as a stepping-stone to success.
If you viewed every act of failing as something useful, one that leads to success rather than failure, you will never fail! Each failure in the conventional sense then becomes something like Edison’s one thousand attempts to create a lightbulb—a necessary stepping-stone to achieving your dreams—and an element of success.
Michael Jordan dared to fail, and that is why he became successful.
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career.
I’ve lost almost 300 games.
26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot…and missed.
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.
And that is why I succeed.” ~Michael Jordan
Above is an excerpt from Gold in the Cracks: Move from Shattered to Whole and Reveal Your Light
© Rani St. Pucchi, 2018
Rani St. Pucchi is an award-winning Couture Fashion Designer, Style & Image Consultant, and a Relationship Expert. She is a Bestselling Author, an Inspirational Speaker, and a Success Coach and Trainer. Her TEDx talk: Is Your Body Image Holding You Back? has received worldwide acclaim. Rani’s#1 International Bestselling Books, Your Body, Your Style: Simple Tips on Dressing to Flatter Your Body Type ; The SoulMate Checklist: Keys to Finding Your Perfect Partner; Your Bridal Style: Everything You Need to Know to Design the Wedding of Your Dreams; and Gold in the Cracks: Move from Shattered to Whole and Reveal Your Light are available on Amazon and at Barnes & Nobles.
For more information on Rani please visit www.ranistpucchi.com