“Winners are not people who never fail, but who saw failure as an opportunity to keep going.”
–MGSpear
Propaganda is addictive for a reason: everyone loves to succeed. Everyone loves the happy ending with a hundred million dollars and the travel lifestyle, appearing to be the most content person on Earth.
Well, I’ve got news for you: what most people don’t post about, what most people don’t talk about, is their failures.
No one wants to hear you failed a zillion times to learn how to do X; they just want the tips and tricks so they can do X.
Nobody really thinks about all the ways Edison failed when inventing the lightbulb—how he might have been frustrated, or even felt hopeless at times. People just flip the switch and go about their business.
Failure is the dark underbelly of happy smiles and lurks behind laughing faces. We all wonder if we are failing, if we’re going to succeed in our endeavors.
We wonder if things will take a turn for the worse, and if we will be able to hang on. When I was inventing, the sheer wall of my experiments failing over and over again was daunting. The rush of not being good enough, of ever being good enough, was a strong message. My ultimate goal was never met, and I ended up pivoting away towards books and eventually art as well. Was I a failure? I don’t think so. I learned a lot, persevered a lot, came up with an invention along the way, and expanded my creative logic. I jumped as high as I could and now pursue new goals with my creativity.
Whatever you are struggling with, don’t quit. Pivot if you need to. Whether working on a new idea, a new strategy for your business, or even a new approach to saving on grocery bills, don’t give up. If things aren’t working out, try a new strategy. Tackle your project from another angle.
The world would not be the same place if Edison hadn’t invented the lightbulb. Kudos to all who have stuck with it and persevered.
I am so proud of your acknowledgements, you are an inspiration to all!!!