Dealing with Failure

The great Irish writer James Joyce said, “A person’s errors are his portals of discovery.” I’ve been through plenty of portals of discovery. I used to say I made all my money in real estate and lost it in everything else. But failing isn’t a problem in life; it’s a natural part of the whole process of learning and growth. How we deal with it is what separates the self-defined winners and losers.

In his book The Change Makers, which details the characteristics of great entrepreneurs, author Maury Klein writes, “Like other great people, the entrepreneurs did nearly everything on an enlarged scale, including their gaffes. In many cases, their misjudgements stemmed from the same qualities that characterized their successes. Galvanized by some vision, they threw themselves into the quest, turned a deaf ear to those who said it couldn’t be done or warned that it invited disaster, and pounded relentlessly against all obstacles. The joy, after all, was in the doing, even when the doing turned into a grind or turned out badly. Risk and failure are an indelible part of the creative process.”

Dale Carnegie was known for his ability to “shut the door on the past with so resolute a slam and with hardly a backward glance.” Many people will tell you that I share this trait. I admit, I do tend to have amnesia when it comes to bad news. By refusing to dwell on what has happened, I stay motivated and upbeat. I don’t think this makes me a shallow person. I think it makes me positive and committed.

Excerpt from 'LifeManual' by Peter H. Thomas. www.lifemanual.com. Copyright 2005, 2006. All rights reserved.

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