Thursday, January 23, 2014

On embracing failure

"I’ve missed more than 9,000 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
All too often, I talk to people who are afraid of changing direction, of following a new path, of leaving their comfort zone. They're afraid of making the wrong choice, or any choice. And they're afraid of falling on their face in the process. That fear of failure is an incredibly powerful force - and it's what keeps folks firmly stuck where they are.

Mr. Jordan is right: You never know what'll happen if you don't try. And if you do fall on your face - or miss the shot, or blow the game - then you simply do what he's always done. Get up, brush yourself off, and try again. Count yourself lucky that you had the opportunity to play the game in the first place.

Sometimes the toughest lessons are the simplest ones to understand.

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