Failure: The Key to Success

“I’ve missed more than nine thousand shots in my career. I’ve lost almost three hundred games. Twenty six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed,” (Michael Jordan). This quote by Michael Jordan teaches us that in order to succeed we need to fail again and again so that we learn from our failures. We should fear not trying, not giving our best, but we should never fear failure, because without failure there is no progress, and without progress there is no success. We should not be scared to fail but be willing to fail. Instead of being enemies with failure, be friends with failure. This will make you accept failure, be not afraid of failing and it will make you keep trying to accomplish your goal. “Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure,” (Thomas J. Watson). This quote by Thomas J. Watson teaches us that in order to be successful, we need to fail. An example that supports the quote would be Thomas Edison, the creator of the light bulb. Thomas Edison failed over dozens of times when he was trying to create the light bulb.

It didn’t work the first time, second time, third time or the fiftieth time, but he learned from his failures and he kept trying. Finally he succeeded and became the inventor of the light bulb. If you keep trying after many times of failure, you will succeed. When we were younger and smaller, we didn’t know how to tie our shoe laces, walk, run, or talk. We tried many times until we can tie our shoe laces, fell many times before we could walk or run, spoke the same word a hundred times before we pronounce it correctly. Even though we fail many times, we finally learned how to walk, run, talk, and tie our shoe laces. Being successful is no different, if you keep trying after you have failed again and again, you will succeed. “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying” (Michael Jordan). So what if you fail? Keep trying until you succeed. Do not give up because if you do, you know a hundred percent that you are not going to be successful. If you try however, there is still a chance that you are going to succeed.

Failing does not make you a failure. It is that one time that you succeed that matters so keep trying to achieve what you want to achieve and do not be afraid to fail. For example, you have been working hard on trying to get your masters degree, but you keep failing over and over again. You should not quit because you have failed so many times, instead you should be learning from your failures and keep trying until you achieve your goal or dreams because it is when you finally get that degree that matters, it doesn’t matter if it took you 10 years to get that 4 year degree. You still got that degree when other people gave up on it after they failed once. You still have a higher education than them even though it took you ten years. People always have big dreams but they don’t ever chase them. Other people tell them they will never make it, that they will never achieve their dreams or goals. And so they give up after they failed once or twice because they think what other people tell them is true. NO, to be successful, you have to fail, so when you fail, you learn more and more from your failures that will make you stronger and better that will improve the next attempt. Then you keep trying and trying until you reach your goal. That is the most important lesson to become successful in life.

Work Cited

“How Failure Can Lead to Success!” HubPages. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://wrenfrost56.hubpages.com/hub/-How-failure-leads-to-success>.

“10 Amazing Success Lessons from Michael Jordan.” PickTheBrain. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/10-amazing-success-lessons-from-michael-jordan/>.

Ballard, Elise. “Epiphany.” 5 Life Lessons and Success Tips of Nobel Laureates and Other Nobel Prize Trivia. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/epiphany/201206/5-life-lessons-and-success-tips-nobel-laureates-and-other-nobel-prize-trivia>.

Dokov, Eugene. “Help From Eugene Dokov I Know I Cannot Help Everyone; but If I Can Help One Person to Become Successful, It Is worth the Effort.” The Three Important Lessons Failure Teaches You to Succeed. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://helpfromeugenedokov.com/104/the-three-most-important-lessons-failure-teaches-you-to-succeed/>.