What is Failure?
"If you don't fail, you are not even trying."
I saw the first quote of this post somewhere & I had to write it down! I have done my fair share of "failing". But when I read this quote, I thought, heck, at least I tried!!!!!
Here are just a few of the definitions for Failing and/or Fail:
Failing:
A failing short; a becoming deficient; failure; deficiency; imperfection; weakness; lapse; fault; infirmity; as, a mental failing.
The act of becoming insolvent of bankrupt.
a weak point; flaw
a fault or a weak point that makes someone or something less effective
Fail
1. To prove deficient or lacking; perform ineffectively or inadequately: failed to fulfill their promises; failed in their attempt to reach the summit.
2. To be unsuccessful: an experiment that failed.
3. To receive an academic grade below the acceptable minimum.
4. To prove insufficient in quantity or duration; give out: The water supply failed during the drought.
5. To decline, as in strength or effectiveness: The light began to fail.
6. To cease functioning properly: The engine failed.
7. To give way or be made otherwise useless as a result of excessive strain: The rusted girders failed and caused the bridge to collapse.
8. To become bankrupt or insolvent: Their business failed during the last recession.
v.tr.
1. To disappoint or prove undependable to: Our sentries failed us.
2. To abandon; forsake: His strength failed him.
3. To omit to perform (an expected duty, for example): "We must . . . hold . . . those horrors up to the light of justice. Otherwise we would fail our inescapable obligation to the victims of Nazism: to remember" (Anthony Lewis).
4. To leave undone; neglect: failed to wash the dishes
[intransitive ] to be unsuccessful when you try to do something
Maybe we all should redefine fail or failing or failure! I think way too many of us often think of ourselves as failures when we don't meet goals we outline for ourselves or we do not lose all that weight or get that job - and the list goes on. Heck, if we are trying & we are moving ahead and doing our best, isn't that a success.
Based on all my trying & not necessarily "winning", I guess I am still a success! I love that quote by Winston Churchill - Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
Let's all get our "SUCCESS" on!!!!
How do you feel about this?
Categories: Awareness, Challenges, Motivation/Support, Life Experiences, Inspiration, Acceptance, Inspirational Quotes
Tags: failure success acceptance awareness challenges inspiration inspirational quotes life experiences motivation
Love this writing!!! I ran 3.5 miles today, without stopping, which if you read my post " I hate running 101" everyone would understand this accomplishment! I am in great shape but hate running.. so I love, love this article! Count every small or large milestone as a success!! Thanks Jody, once again you have made my day
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Dana - thank you! Yes - every little milestone is a success! Congrats on your run!
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The only way to never fail is to never try. Which clearly is not WHAT we want to do with our lives.
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Karen - right on!
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Love this! One of the best bits of advice I ever received was, "The only ones not making mistakes are the ones not doing anything." So I dropped (mostly) the word "failure" from my lexicon and replaced it with "something that didn't work." Yes, it's wordier, but it's kinder and more motivating than its predecessor.
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Cammy - love your comment & your replacement for failure!
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I think that there are all kinds of ways to rationalize most any way that we behave. I suspect that most of us know when we are really succeeding and when we are not.
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I think the key is to make sure we don't let us set us back - and i have done my fair share of that. I like what Lori wrote about it being a process but does not make her a failure.
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I LOVE that quote! If only I could maintain that attitude all of the time, I'm pretty enthusiastic most of the time, but a major failure can set anyone back a long way.
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Karen, I hear you - it is tough at times!
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Love this post! My fav quote of all time is:
"The definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”
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Sian, I love that quote too!
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I like to think of failures as a process. I tried something that didn't work for me, but it's okay. Just because something I tried failed doesn't make *me* a failure.
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Lori - great comment! Says it all...
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Hi Jody, LOVE the quote! Words to live by indeed. It's too easy to dwell on what we deem failures, when in fact, they're simply part of the process of life. Have a great day!
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Roz, yes, like Lori said too - part of the process. If we never try than we never can "succeed", right!
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This post really spoke to me. I have worried and not done this because I was afraid of this mythical "failure". Good on you for push through and push past that mind set!
-Sarah
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Sarah, believe me, I have had times that I pulled back due to previous "No's" or not "succeeding". BUT, I always come back & try again. I think we have to or we never may get to our full potential! Thx for commenting!
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Some of those quotes should be on my wall! Such an important thing to embrace - whether you are losing weight, maintaining or reaching for a new goal!
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Thx Diane - yes, we need to embrace the fact that trying is a good thing no matter what!
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