Failure May Be An Orphan, But I'll Take That Any Day of the Week

You've probably heard the following phrase:

"Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan."

When you think about that - isn't it sad?

The fact that so many people's natural tendency is to run from failure and to distance themselves from it is one of the reasons so many people don't reach their true potential.

You hear all the time that you need to embrace failure and that it is a good thing - and that you should learn from it and use it to fuel your success into the future.

Let's get real for a second.  Failure sucks.  It's hard.  It's painful.  It doesn't feel good when you are going through it.  And it especially can take a toll on people emotionally.  It is true that you will learn the most from failure, but that doesn't mean you will automatically turn into a success.

You will have to learn from it and learn well.  But, then you will have to go to work.  Serious work.  You will have push yourself more than before the point of failure.  You have to go at it day in and day out.  You will have to sacrifice.  You will have to overcome your mental limitations and negative self talk.  You will have to separate yourself and not let the failure define you.  And you will have to get smarter, more innovative, and never give in to that which you can control.  Oh yeah, and you have to take responsibility for things as well.

These are the reasons why "failure is an orphan."  Most people are not strong enough or willing to go through everything listed above - or step up and take responsibility.  What they don't realize is that responsibility goes both ways.  You are responsible when you fail, but you are equally responsible when you succeed.  This is why I will take failure every day of the week, because if you have the will, the work ethic, and the humility to learn and innovate, you can rise like a phoenix from the ashes and rise to entirely new heights.  

The lesson?  Failure sucks.  It's worth it to take responsibility, learn, and overcome it.  You'll work you ass off, maybe more than you ever have, in doing so, and you have the opportunity to reach all new levels that you may never even thought were possible.  And I'll take that any day of the week.