The Only 2 Ways to Fail

You can run from failure all your life or you can look it straight in the face because eventually you’re going to figure out 50 ways to fail and you’ll have a lot of company learning most of them.  

What I’m digging into today, however, is the 2 BIG categories of failure.

It reminds me of an attorney I used to have who asked me if I knew how many attorney jokes there are. I said, no but there are a lot of them. He looked me in the eye and said, no Greg… there are really only two. The others are proven facts.  (ha ha)

So I’m telling you there are only 2 categories of failure, and everything else falls in them. And if you can believe it, one of them is a GOOD failure… (bet you didn’t know there was such a thing) and the other is BAD failure.  

Where’s the dividing line? Where do the tracks split and all roads lead to one or the other?  

You can fail in the PURSUIT of TRUTH… or you can fail in the DENIAL of TRUTH.  

The choice is yours. You can fail both ways, but one leads to brokenness and the other to breakthrough. 

Of course, I know you’re all about the truth, you’d never deny the truth… that’s crazy talk… but what happens when our perception of the truth gets in the way of the actual truth? When we’re convinced that fulfilling our purpose requires reshaping truth in some way.

Here’s what I know about truth.

·        Just because you believe something is true, doesn’t make it true. You’re not the center of the universe and proving other people wrong doesn’t make you right. 

·        Truth is counterintuitive. Sometimes bad circumstances have good results and pain is the only path to breakthrough.

The pursuit of truth isn’t found in circumstances or our best-laid plans, it’s a journey full of trial and error as we adjust toward true north in pursuit of our highest created purpose. Our purpose, our mission, our daily refined definition of success is part of this pursuit. Sometimes the path seems broad and easy, some days it’s narrow and we struggle to stay out of the ditches on either side. We fail but we persist because the pursuit of truth is our only hope to know who we are, why we’re here and to matter in the journey to significance – the deep longing of our souls.  

Denial of truth is defined not always by a different path but by a different focus. When we choose the temporary, rely on circumstantial evidence for our decisions and possess no clear and compelling definition of success, it’s impossible for us to navigate the path to destiny. Failure in the denial of truth shrinks our faith, limits our vision and reshapes the truth to match our interpretation of our experiences.

Let’s get rid of the head trash… It’s time to get clear on the mission and the truth.

In the pursuit of truth, here’s what you need to know.  

·        Search for allies, align with resources outside your own strength and remember that failure in denial of truth is the path to breakdown, not breakthrough.

·        Don’t assume there is only one way to fulfill the mission and always be aware that Circumstances Lie and there is head trash to deal with. You’re a branch, you’re not the source.

·        Surround yourself with others in the pursuit of truth and pull each other up.

No, it’s not simple, but truth can’t always be seen from inside our own heads. We need a better perspective and that’s why we need each other.

The Pursuit of Truth requires we clarify our Definition of Success. Yes, we will fail at times in our pursuit, but it’s an acceptable failure, good failure, even failure that leads to a breakthrough.  

When we fail in our denial of truth, all we get is brokenness, no matter how well-intentioned we are.

Get rid of the head trash and let’s move from broken to breakthrough together.  

Want to establish your own Practice Zone environment and get total Buy-In from your people. Text YATES to 474747 or Visit www.noheadtrash.com and let’s talk about accelerating your results through My Practice Zone. 

Greg is a business owner, speaker, podcaster, best-selling author and coach who helps people move past circumstance to calling, beyond brokenness to breakthrough. Greg Believes that "Circumstances Lie" about what's possible and that brokenness is the opportunity for Breakthrough in your life, your business and your people. 

A keynote speaker in businesses and churches, Greg hosts a Facebook group called, “The No Head Trash Nation” , and leads The Practice Zone Mastermind, a small group forum where leaders connect as trusted advisors to grow in every area of life and leadership.  

Greg is the International Best-Selling author of

·        Broken – how being broken unlocked the greatest success of my life

·       Overcoming the 10 Common Fears all leaders face.

·        The Breakthrough – a leadership fable about the 4 barriers that hold teams back

·       A Journey of Significance – the Story of Albert Diepeveen –moving from Success to Significance. 

… and the exciting release of his 5th book, titled “Circumstances Lie”, ‘Get Total Buy-In and a team that thrives personally and professionally without sacrificing the mission.’