It’s not Failure that Prevents Success, it’s Quitting

I want to tell you a story about failure and success, and the supporting ‘character’ is a tub of fried chicken. (Got your attention, right?)

?The main character is the late Colonel Sanders, who failed in just about every endeavor he was involved in throughout his life. But he kept trying. At the age of 65, he perfected the ‘secret blend of 11 herbs and spices’ that KFC still uses, and set out to sell his fried chicken franchise model.

?1,009 restaurants rejected him before one accepted his offer. Think about that – 1,009 rejections before one yes! And today, there are more than 25,000?KFC restaurants?in over 145 countries around the?world!

?Turning failure into success requires perseverance, to keep going, and resilience, to bounce back after rejection. And it doesn’t matter if your goal is to change the whole world, or just to change your world, multiple studies show that perseverance tops aptitude and raw talent, and is a more accurate predictor of achievement. In fact, it’s an essential quality for success in life.

David Villa, an author, speaker and trainer, is convinced that resilience is single-handedly the most important characteristic to have if you want to be successful in life. He says it isn’t about being the smartest or luckiest, or about who you know, it’s about the ability to go through hardship and still have the will to keep moving forward: “Being resilient doesn't mean succeeding on your first or second try. You may come up short on the third attempt. By the fourth and fifth try, you will probably be tired. You may be covered in dirt from falling down over and over. But eventually, you will succeed.”

?Villa isn’t the only person with this opinion. As President Barack Obama once said: “The real test is not whether you avoid failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.”

Let's face it. We live in a biased world, and we all have blind spots, and I will be the first to admit my own. This is particularly difficult for our diverse colleagues & friends– resilience is an important factor in the ongoing diversity and inclusion conversation.

?What keeps you going? What’s your story of resilience? How many times have you dusted yourself off and picked where you left off after a setback? I’d love to hear about your ‘secret recipe’!