The biggest trigger for failure is the fear of failing.

 

Residential building is a super competitive business and tendering for jobs feels a lot like failing.

 

An established high profile building company only wins one in five projects that they tender for. But you can only win jobs if you put in the time and effort to quote/tender for them. Loosing 4 out of 5 tenders is just part of the process.

 

Some days it is your turn to win, but all the other days are the work that leads to the win.

 

“Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill

 

Most people do not distinguish between Failing and Failure but there is a very meaningful difference.

 

Competitive pursuits can only have one winner, so failing is just part of the game. When your football team loses a game (or several games) it does not mean it’s failing. It means it is having a crack and working towards its goal. Not winning and learning from its mistakes is a vital part of improving and realising the team’s potential.

 

Failure is different. Failure is when you stop trying. Failure is when you give in to your fear and self-doubt and stop doing the work.

 

If you Google “most famous failures” it makes some compelling reading.

 

Here are my top four famous failures.

 

1. The greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan, was cut from his high school team.
2. Steven Spielberg was rejected from film school three times.
3. Oprah Winfrey was fired from an early job as a television news anchor.
4. Jerry Seinfeld was booed off stage in his first stand-up comedy appearance.

“It’s a universal truth that we fear things less when we know that we’re not alone in facing that fear.” Robert Glazer

 

As long as you are working towards a goal, there is no such thing as failure.

Some days will be good and feel like wins and others not so much. If you are moving forward, you are not failing.

One of the best lessons you can teach your children, is that it is okay to fail, it’s a normal part of learning and growing.

“Strive for progress not perfection.” Robert Glazer

The pursuit of perfection is a dangerous trap that is hard to get out of and ultimately leads to distress and unhappiness.

During the recent NBA playoffs, The Milwaukee Bucks NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the world’s best basketball players, was asked by a reporter if he considered the season to be a failure. his two-minute speech summarizes the difference between failing and failure beautifully. Take 2 minutes to watch the video – it is worth it!

Thanks for reading,

Stay safe and fear regret more than failure.

David