The Najera Notion
The Beauty of Failure: Seeing the Value of Past Mistakes in Business and Garnering Success
By: Gabriela Najera
February 16, 2010
Abraham Lincoln is known as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents of all time. The impact he made on our country is momentous, and to this day, we benefit from his noteworthy decisions. But what most people don’t know is that Lincoln had a string of significant failures before his Presidency. In 1832, he lost his job and was defeated for State Legislature; in 1833 his business failed; in 1836 he suffered from a nervous breakdown, and between 1838 and 1858, he was defeated for Speaker of the House, land officer, a nomination for Congress, a seat in the U.S. Senate and a nomination for the Vice Presidency.
Facing that string of disappointments would be enough for anyone to declare, “I give up!” And most people, more often that not, do give up. The ability to carry on through the thick fog of frustration and setbacks can be a beautiful thing. How will one ever know the pleasure of success without knowing the heartbreak of failure?
No matter how much rejection he faced, Lincoln persevered on to become one of the greatest U.S. Presidents of all time, landing him in the history books for future generations to study. What would the future have looked like if he had given up?
What would your future look like if you give up?
In business, there are plenty of books written about “How to Succeed”; however, there are very far and few between written on “How I Failed”. What is imperative to understand is that failure can be a good thing to experience, and that it is simply the situation that failed, not you as a person.
At Najera Consulting Group, Inc., it is a strong belief of ours that there is a certain kind of beauty in failure. Do we want our clients to fail? Of course not! But, time and time again, when things get rough, or life throws you an unexpected turn, people give up. Instead of seeking the value in failure, and gaining an understanding of what can be done better, they close the door to ever thinking of new heights again because they are afraid to fail.
We ask all of our clients “Is your business all that it can be?” Often times, we hear the answer “no”. The reason being is that businesses are afraid of going outside of the lines because failure may be lurking around the corner. In psychology it is taught that the ego desires to be right all the time. If we learn to let go of our ego, and accept challenges as a learning experience, no matter how they turn out, then success will greet you when you least expect it. Let go of the residuals of past failures, and understand that success will find you if you let go of fear.
Between 1832 and 1858, Lincoln went through many disappointments, both personal and professional. He experienced self-doubt and uncertainty whether or not he should continue on in his professional dreams. But through all of that came self-discovery, and he made his past failures into success. Lincoln was elected President of the United States in 1860, and the rest is history.
What history are you creating now?
Do you have any stories of a beautiful failure? Comment below.
Comments
Comment from Al Reyes
March 1, 2010 at 10:56 pm
There are many examples of people performing their greatest accomplishments in their 60s and 70s. The manager of the Florida Marlins who beat the Yankees in the World Series a few years back was in his 70s. There is always time to rebound. President Lincoln faced a tremendous political and human question with the Civil War. He had to go through three of four generals and battlefield defeats before General Grant arrived to do the job. But he had the strength to keep moving forward.
Comment from Adam
March 1, 2010 at 10:57 pm
Great article. It’s always good to be reminded of the fact that we need to persevere.
Comment from admin
March 1, 2010 at 10:59 pm
Thank you so much for your insightful comment!
Comment from Rob
March 1, 2010 at 10:55 pm
Nice piece.