This goes against what most people think of when they think of success. The majority of people think along the lines of “FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION”
This is a saying that comes up again and again, and I know people are trying to be helpful and “motivating” but this is one of the sayings that really gets under my skin. Failure is ALWAYS an option, more often than that, failure is quite often the easiest option. How easy is it to just pick up your bat and ball and go home.
Having conversations with various clients I also must be clear what is meant by the term “FAILURE”. If you talk to one person it can mean stumbling and falling, or missing their KPI’s or quotas, to them that is failure. Ask someone else and they may come up with the idea that failing is simply quitting before the game is up. It is such a grey area and as such is down to each individuals own interpretation.
If you take the former idea, that failing is stumbling and falling, I think that failure is, in most instances, a must. That is when we are trying new ideas and concepts and finding out from our own experiences what works and what doesn’t. So long as you are smart enough to learn from these stumbling blocks and come at it with a different strategy and if necessary get some fresh eyes to look over the issue and see if together you brainstorm can combat the problem.
This is in sporting terms like standing up at bat in baseball and being to scared to take a swing. If you don’t take a swing you can still get struck out, but you have no chance at hitting the ball, let along hit a home run.
Babe Ruth (American Baseballer) is a legend for his ability to hit home runs. In his 22 Seasons in the Major League he hit the most amount of home runs in the American League for 12 of those seasons. Having said that he also lead the league in strikeouts 5 times and for many years was known as the King of Strikeouts. But ask just about anyone these days and Babe Ruth is known for his all or nothing approach and his homeruns.
If however you take the latter, that failure is quitting, then there are arguments for that as well. I completely understand if you have put in countless hours of work, and lots of money into a project and nothing is coming from it, that you will want to get something in return. If you ask the question, “Is it all worth it”, well, maybe it just isn’t? You must take a good look at your situation and your mindset and make sure it is something you would do even if you wouldn’t get the rewards.
If i was to do something like programming or computers, it wouldn’t matter how much money or how much time I put in I just wouldn’t have the passion or drive to keep at it when times get tough. You can bet your bottom dollar that business and any endeavour will have it’s tough times and if it isn’t something that you are passionate about you will more than likely give up and quit (FAIL), which in all honesty could be the best thing for you to do strategically.
If however you are doing that you are passionate about, with me it is Speaking, Coaching and Fitness, you will find a way to push through even when the chips are down. That is precisely where you want to be.
Quitting or “FAILING” as it were, can be the best strategic tool when applied properly. If you quit on something that is failing and beyond repair, or something that is of no interest to you, you will free up a lot of time and resources towards what your true passion is.
For those out there that spread the gospel “Failure is not an option”
I ask them to take a close look at the question and truly be honest with themselves. Is failure really not an option, or is it actually the best option?
