What is success? Recently, I have been thinking a lot about this…Is success a framework or a state of mind? How do you define success? Can we ever really define what success really is or encompasses? How do others view our “success”? More importantly, how do you view another individuals “success“?
People never do anything perfectly the first time they try it…not in sports, not in games, not in school, and most certainly not in work organizations. When they engage in something new and different, people make a lot of mistakes. That’s what experimentation is all about. Research scientists know this very well…there’s a lot of trial and error involved in testing new concepts, new methods, and new practices.
Consider the times when you tried to play a new game or a new sport. Maybe it was skiing, snowboarding, tennis, bridge, golf, hockey, or poker. Did you get it perfect the very first day? Not likely. For example, do you imagine that you could navigate a skateboard or snowboard all day long the first time you get on it? Are you very likely to win a game of chess the very first time you play or record a part the first time you play golf?
Over and over again, people in our studies tell us how important mistakes and failure have been to their success. Without mistakes we’d be unable to know what we can and cannot do (at least at this moment). Without those experiences, respondents said they would have been unable to achieve their aspirations. It may seem ironic, but many echo the thought that the overall quality of work improves when people have a chance to fail. Studies of the innovation process make the point: “Success does not breed success. It breeds failure. It is failure which breeds success.” So think about it…success is the essence of failure. That is not only powerful but totally empowering, because it reverses the idea that failure is always negative…ponder that as you go about being successful.
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