Have you even been discouraged by failure when trying to reach a goal? We’ve all felt that way at some time in life. Winston Churchill said, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” Let’s discuss that idea further.

Failure is often seen as something to be avoided at all costs. However, many of the world’s most successful people stumbled and failed repeatedly before achieving their greatest triumphs. The road to success is rarely a straight line – it’s much more of a winding path filled with setbacks, dead-ends, mistakes, and some loss of enthusiasm that ultimately led to growth. The path is difficult, requiring perseverance through the inevitable stumbling blocks that can act as stepping stones to success.

Take the example of author J.K. Rowling who came up with the idea for the Harry Potter book series during a delayed train journey in 1990. After first putting pen to paper, Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected dozens of times until it was finally accepted for publication in 1997 by Bloomsbury. Rowling had hit rock bottom, living on welfare at one point as a single mom. But her unwavering belief in her story idea and refusal to give up drove her to keep trying until she made it a worldwide phenomenon.

As Rowling said, “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all–in which case, you fail by default.” Embracing failure as a necessary part of achievement is key to eventually succeeding.

In the business world, some of the most iconic companies and product lines were born out of previous failed attempts. Take Dyson as an example – founder James Dyson created over 5,000 failed vacuum prototypes over 15 years before finally launching his revolutionary bagless vacuum in 1993. If he’d given up after his first, or even 1,000th try, we may have never seen the reinvention of such a fundamental household product.

Similarly, companies like Google, PayPal, and Slack emerged only after their creators’ first few companies and product ideas didn’t work out. As the saying goes, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Each failure allowed them to adapt, learn, and improve until they created something successful.

Even artistic geniuses like Vincent Van Gogh spent years painting works that went unappreciated and unsold in his lifetime. He failed, in society’s view, for most of his artistic career before finally creating masterpieces like “The Starry Night”. His quote, “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” encapsulates the importance of persisting through failure.

At the end of the day, failure is simply part of the growth process required to achieve any type of meaningful success. As Michael Jordan put it, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 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.”

Embracing failure, learning from mistakes, and persistently trying again is the only way to keep moving towards your goals.  The path is never easy, but as long as passionate pursuit continues, eventual success can be found through, and even because of, repeated failures.

So, what insights can we take forward from these examples to help turn our stumbling blocks into stepping stones? Here are some thoughts:

Accept stumbling blocks as part of life. We can get in trouble if we hold on to the idea that everything must go our way and work perfectly. Life’s journey is not perfect, so don’t be surprised when stumbling blocks show up.

Prepare for stumbling blocks. It’s helpful to observe others and their attempts at similar goals. You can adopt a positive mindset and commitment that nothing will stop you. It’s also helpful to check in with an ‘accountability partner’ who can cheer you on.

Learn from your stumbling blocks. Rejoice that each try gives you knowledge about what works and what doesn’t work. Then have courage to apply the new learning so you stumble your way to success.

What about you? Has failure kept you from achieving goals that you want to reach? If so, we encourage you to learn from the examples we presented. When on your success journey, you may encounter many stumbling blocks and your path may take some detours. Don’t let the stumbling blocks stop you. Instead, turn the stumbling blocks into stepping stones on the path that leads to your success.

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@TheBalanceCenter.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2024 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.