Comments on: Stop Thinking You Are Going To Fail Just Because Someone Says You Should

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:07:27 +0000

Failure rarely fails to provide some lesson for us to grow from.

By: Frank @ Merchant Loans

Frank @ Merchant Loans — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:42:06 +0000

Brilliant post. Fear of failure often keeps many potential entrepreneurs from achieving their goals. Recognizing that we all fail and it’s part of the process can help business owners overcome their hesitation. Ask many of the most successful people in business today. They all failed in at least one venture. Some multiple times.

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By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:18:14 +0000

@Xurxo
Well put! I just don’t want people going into a venture thinking that they will definitely fail just because it is their first time. Anyone who says otherwise is spouting complete BS. You can succeed your first time around if you stick with it and adapt to any obstacles you may encounter.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:14:18 +0000

@Daniel
That’s a great story. Sometimes, it’s only a matter of time before things pick up. I know that was definitely true with our store as it took 6 months for things to explode. Thanks for the comment.

@Nea
Yeah. I was just getting tired of hearing it over and over again. Most of all, I don’t like how people say you have to fail before you succeed without ever defining what they meant by failure.

By: zmajeva

zmajeva — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:19:05 +0000

Imagine a life without a failure! Boring! How can we feel the sweetness of success, without a failure? There will be no excitement of learning!

By: Oscar - freestyle mind

Oscar - freestyle mind — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:59:47 +0000

Great message Steve, I wish they would teach this concept in school rather than teaching the opposite (failure is bad and you should avoid it at all costs)

By: Xurxo Vidal

Xurxo Vidal — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:24:50 +0000

Steve,

Absolutely refreshing post! Like you, I did not go into business for myself with the mindset that failure as an acceptable outcome. I did go into business because I’m aiming to succeed.

FAILURE CAN BE GOOD, BUT IT DEPENDS WHAT YOU DO WITH IT
I understand what the message that many are trying to send is – failure is good because you can learn from your mistakes, but where I part ways with that philosophy is when I hear or read that you have to fail completely to learn something.

LEARN FAST FROM FAILURES
Like you, I think the smart and competent entrepreneur is one that can roll with the punches and recover quickly from setbacks and mistakes. Sure a major fail can teach you something if you’re paying attention and have enough wisdom to learn from the failure, but the wiser person is one who can recognize the mistakes early enough and adjust course to head back in the right direction as you’ve clearly done in your own business.

ALL OR NOTHING MENTALITY IS DANGEROUS
I hope more people read this and don’t fall for the hype that you should fail fast and hard to learn so you can move on to bigger things. Rather you should learn faster and faster from your failures and develop a skill on how to take corrective action more quickly.

Business and Entrepreneurship is not a game of all or nothing. Believing the failing fast and hard advice may well lead a lot of entrepreneurs to a self-fulfilling prophesy where they may have otherwise succeeded.

Well played Steve!

By: Nea | Self Improvement Saga

Nea | Self Improvement Saga — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:28:43 +0000

Great article and I totally agree. I don’t even like that word failure. It just sounds like such a permanent negative circumstance. A roadblock doesn’t indicate a failure… just a change in course.