FAILING TO SUCCEED

Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss a 100% of the shots you don't take.” Michael Jordan "I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed." These are people many laud as masterful and triumphant.? Edison “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."? Einstein "Failure is success in progress".? While I was researching, copying and pasting the quotes of some of the greats, I found myself curiously obsessed with finding someone more obscure, perhaps a once upon a time ‘wonder’, a supporting actor amongst the celebrities. Someone we can relate to…stay tuned.

This concept of ‘failure leads to the road of success’ was inspired by two recent rejections from two screenplay competitions on the same day. Of course I was bummed… for about one second, OK two seconds. Then I considered the statistics of these ‘competitions'. Sadly very few of the honored scripts get made and statistically most of the awardees don’t earn major awards or rewards afterwards either. So stocked with that statistical bounty, I conjured up this weeks newsletter.?

I mean let’s be serious, if you are vying for the cliquey sandbox where actual success is limited to said sandbox, isn’t it better to be rejected? It feels like the subplot of a John Hughes film doesn’t it? For me these misfirings are fuel for the internal fires, the tenacity that runs through my veins, the sight of a rainbow after every storm, heck the jubilance of dancing in the rain. These more personal frustrations in the microcosmic space of obscure success may suggest that you and your work or me and my work are actually better than that and worthy of higher praise and notice! Yes! That’s it!?

Don’t get cocky kid! Always consider that your work and presentation may need another pass, another set of eyes, more research, more grindstone… or not, maybe you just dodged a proverbial, obscurity bullet.?

Of course in a past post I wrote about how a ‘NO' is liberating, so with that, a rejection is actually just as liberating, yes I know it’s a NO, but work with me, it’s liberating more in relation to what I described above, you know the cliquey sandbox? There’s that tenacity and drive rationalizing and lighting fires again.?

If at first you don’t succeed…,? you know the drill. But seriously, there is no set of words or quote that will change any harsh reality. A handful of cleverly assembled words will offer nothing than muttered sounds, it’s not like you are going to study it and write a dissertation, or maybe you are, I don’t know? What it may do and what it should do, is create an energy source within your soul with the drive of a slow and steady steam engine or whatever image you need to conjure up. Whatever you manifest in the way of energy to push past and move on, that is what your focus should be, not that silly old sandbox. ?

It ain’t easy, it’s a pain in the ass actually, we all know too well how life can turn on a dime, how the butterfly effect works or happenstance and this is what many of us invest in magical thinking or hopeful faith.? Just accept, my friend, that this is/was not your path, I’m talking about small set backs here by the way, don’t go too deep on me. This is how I have come to accept the potholes and speed bumps of my own life. That in fact, my life may have a few different potholes than others, that I learned to navigate and avoid, plenty of dead butterflies, but I can still admire their beauty and their journey. The choice of when something less than expected happens, do we just stand there? NO! We must have sitzfleisch, the fuel that says F%$^ it! Let’s do this! And we move on.

Sarah Blakely’s thought’s on failure, which was encouraged by her father? “It’s really allowed me to be much freer in trying things and spreading my wings in life.”?

You can also read about the success and failures of the great and powerful WOZ, Steve Wozniak: (it’s a great read I promise) https://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/what-steve-wozniak-learned-from-failure . ?

And lastly that obscure success through failure thought you have all been waiting for:? Winston Churchill’s phrase: ‘Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.’ Now go out there and get ‘em!

OK, ok here it is:?

Consummate talent and relentless passion - The truth ain't pretty...but it rocks like crazy!? Billy Squire

How’s that for obscure?