What's Worse Than Failure?

Pondering the title of this article, many people may not be able to think of anything worse than failure right away... except perhaps, death. If you think about it for a while though some other thoughts may pop into your head.

For me, this is a profound topic when it comes to living up to your full potential because I know that the fear of failure is quite common. Many people fail to act because they are afraid of failing... or are they?

It's been my experience, more often than not, that many people aren't necessarily afraid of failing per se but are really afraid of the perceived stigma of failure. In other words, they fear the perceived societal backlash of failure. They do not want to see the world look back at them in disapproval or disappointment – they want to be accepted. This perception drives the motivation to stay still because the perception is that if you remain still and do nothing, you won’t fail. The other part that comes with staying still though is that doing nothing also produces nothing, except the status quo.

Fear of failure cause many people to fight hard to keep the status quo. They believe that as long as nothing changes, they have nothing to fear. It is easier to go in the same direction as the current than it is to swim against it – no one wants to be a salmon. The problem with this position is that even though you are afraid of change, change continues to happen around you constantly and sooner or later, you will have to move or get run over. No greatness has ever been achieved without the will to be a salmon – without the courage to observe the masses and do the opposite.

In fact, the history of the world's greatness is built on many failures. The power of failure lies within the lesson. Did you learn anything from your failure and how will you apply what it taught you the next time? You see, your failures only remain just that if you miss the lesson that lies within and there is undoubtedly always a lesson or two that you need to learn in order to achieve success.

Remember that Christopher Columbus was looking for the Far East when he stumbled onto the Caribbean Islands and what is now the United States of America. What an absolute blunder in direction that was? That failure though led to Christopher Columbus' greatness. He never did find the coast of China; however, he passionately pursued is dream and it changed the history of sea explorations forever. He inspired many other explorers through his perseverance and courage.

Another example is Sir Alexander Flemings’ accidental penicillin discovery which came after many failed attempts to find an antiseptic for treating battle wounds that didn’t endanger the patients. Dr. Fleming believed that there had to be a better way to treat the wounds of soldiers without them succumbing to death in the process. Though he was looking for a better antiseptic, he discovered something better – the first antibiotic which revolutionized medicine and how we treat wounds.

Both great men in pursuit of a dream - something they believed in and we would not know their names today had they not taken action.

The point is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with failing as long as you learn from it. In fact, failure is imperative to success and I don't think you can achieve much success if you've never failed at anything. I have personally failed way more times than I have succeeded; however I've always done my best to grasp the lesson and apply it the next time. It may take several tries but what the heck; the fun is in the pursuit of greatness anyway.

So what's worse than failure?

Inaction is far worse than failure... in fact inaction is far worse than anything else you can think of. Just imagine what life is like for a paraplegic and then multiply that by 10,000. They are unable to do much to help themselves – how agonizing do you imagine that is? Now if you are a capable person and you choose inaction – what does that make you? It may sound harsh but I think you’ll agree that makes you a worthless lump. That is of course if you want to achieve success – if you are in pursuit of greatness. If not, be my guest and enjoy the status quo in mediocrity.

It still befuddles (and saddens) me how many people I talk to on a daily basis, who refuse to act out of fear. These are not feeble-minded individuals either; these are well-schooled and smart individuals. The point is that fear of failure cripples you. When you let fear lead, you will always be unable to act. This is why true leadership takes courage because you have to act especially in the face of fear.

I've talked to, counseled and mentored many individuals who refuse to pursue their dreams and goals because they are afraid of the stigma of failing. This happens even when all the tools and resources are available. What I often hear are a myriad of excuses and justifications as to why it's not the right time to act. My answer is always the same "If not now, when?"

When is the right time to act?

This question has a very simple answer; however many people attempt to rationalize why they don't act as opposed to admitting their fear. The right time to act is always when you're ready to – not one minute before or after. Your readiness will depend on your independent thought; on what you believe in and what you desire to achieve. Only you can answer these questions and thus determine your readiness to take action.

Action does not require external stimuli before it happens – that's reaction. What you need is pro-action which requires your readiness and willingness to act because you believe in something. It doesn't matter in what state the world is or how your finances look; if you believe in something and you have a true desire to achieve it, the only thing left to do is to act.

If you choose inaction, nothing will happen. Whatever you believe in and whatever you desire will simply become a fantasy all because you did not act. Your circumstances have nothing to do with the outcome - your choice not to act does.

On the other hand, what if you choose to act on your belief, to go after your desires? It is guaranteed that something will happen if you choose to act. Sure, the outcome may very well be a failure and you may not meet your objectives this time; however, just think of all you will have learned. Additionally, how much fun will you have had in exercising your freedom to choose to follow your dream? This, in my view, is absolutely priceless. Through the many failures I have had, I don’t regret any part of the experiences... they were fun and I learned a whole lot too.

Let me share a scenario of how one little act can make a whole lot of difference.

I was on the subway one morning in New York City when an unstable man came on the train yelling and screaming at another passenger. He threatened to stab her in the head several times and when she ignored him he got even more irate. At this point the man began to make lewd gestures towards other passengers and threatened to stab them as well. As I glanced around the train car I could see how tense everyone was, most ignoring the man and trying hard not to look in his direction. My impulse was to do the same because let's face it, the man was scary.

In my gut though I was feeling a ping - I felt like I had to do something. I believed that what this man was doing was not only wrong but very dangerous. I thought to myself, "What if my daughters were on this train, wouldn't I want someone to do something? Wouldn’t I like to think that I raised them with good character principles that would compel them to do something?" With that thought in mind and the ping in my gut, I decided to act.

Now don't let your imagination run wild, I'm no Jet Li. As much as I played the scene in my head where I took this guy down in 2 moves and subdued him without harming him or anyone else, that's not how it played out... no movie heroics from me. I told you I was scared... just as afraid as any of the other passengers but I wasn't about to let my fear cripple me; I couldn't let it stop me from taking action on something I believed in.

So, instead of movie heroics, I opted for the path of least resistance. Being a big Law & Order fan, I took note of the man's features and what he was wearing right down to the dirty Nike sneakers with the 2 scuff marks on the back of the right heel and the gray jacket with the tear at the rotator-cuff. I then got off the train at the next stop and quickly ran to the station clerk at the booth and got her attention. I explained the situation to her and provided a thorough description of the man while she relayed it to police officers at the next 2 station stops.

Now while there were no movie heroics, the man was pulled off the train by the police 2 stops from where I got off and the threat was no more. Can you imagine the relief of those passengers? I know I would be relieved if I were on that train.

Now imagine if I or someone else did nothing? The situation could have gone so many other ways - many of them unpleasant. This man could have easily lost it and went off on the passengers and then you would only see the news headline that a crazy man went on a rampage and stabbed several people on a New York City subway killing two and injuring nine.

The point of telling you this story is not to paint me as a white knight. It is simply to illustrate the significant difference one simple act can make when you believe in something. I simply acted because I believed it was the right thing to do. I would not have been able to sleep knowing that I did nothing when I know I could have done something, especially if I had to read an awful headline like the fictitious one outlined above. I don't think that would sit well with you either.

I know that I'm beating you in the head with this but if you've read the article to this point, I think you understand why by now. The greatest failure is the failure to act. If you believe in something, if you have a dream and you fail to act, you have suffered the greatest failure and it will remain just that for as long as you choose to do nothing.

In case you haven't gotten it by now... I'll spell it out this way. Failure is a choice and so is success. This is why when you try and fail, you can choose to try again. Choosing to try means you've chosen to accept the possibility of failure. Learning the lessons of your failure and choosing to try again so you can apply those lessons means you've made a choice to succeed. It's all up to you... your choice.

Action in the face of fear is true courage.

Comments

[Keith]

Hello Dean!

Awesome article! You could not be any more right by saying the Inaction is far worse than Fear of Failure. In fact, if one is driven and is taking action, there will not be any failures, just results. If we try and do not get the result we wanted, we did not fail, we just found out what doesn't work. Make an adjustment and keep moving forward! Great article Dean!! I truly enjoyed reading it.