LIFE AFTER FAILURE AND DEFEAT

“The successes of today are built, not on the results of early successes, but upon the back of earlier failures.”

This statement was made by Sumner Redstone, a leading American Businessman, Media Magnate and Philanthropist, several years ago in his autobiography. It has impressed me so much that I have included it in my list of core quotations.

The history of man throughout the ages overflows with examples of this. To my knowledge many, if not all, of the most successful people have arrived at the top after traveling on roads strewn with multiple rocks of failure and they never hesitated to admit that they credit their success on the lessons they learnt from them. 

-As a young man, Abraham Lincoln went to war as a captain and returned a private. He failed in several business ventures and as a Lawyer was only able to earn money by becoming an itinerant attorney. As a politician, he was no less successful. He was defeated in his attempt to be elected to congress, and twice to the senate as well. In his first attempt for the vice-presidency, he lost miserably. Yet as the 16^th President he successfully presided over the most difficult period of American History.

-Winston Churchill failed as a student, was defeated in every election for public office (although he was appointed to several cabinet posts), until his election as Prime Minister in 1940. His leadership is credited with saving England in WWII. In addition his became an accomplished artist, historian and author, recognized worldwide.

-Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of the modern assembly lines used in mass production, failed and went broke five times before he succeeded. He publicly recorded this experience and his reason to continue, thus:

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again,

This time, more intelligently.

         -Sigmund Freud, the father of Psychotherapy, was booed from the podium when he first presented his ideas to the scientific community. But he eventually gained much respect and acceptance because of his commitment and persistence.

         -Walt Disney, the greatest entertainment mogul that the world has ever seen, failed miserably on several business ventures, including declaring bankrupt in 1922, before finally launching his immensely successful Disney Entertainment World.

         People generally are so concerned with failure that they tend to approach challenges with undue trepidation and caution. The thought of failure weighs so heavily on them that many potentially successful ventures never see the light of day. To them the “shame of failure” is just not acceptable. I recall my own father spending long hours in deep thought and concern over a business opportunity because of the risk of failing. Had it not been for the persistence of his brother-in-law he might well have walked away from what became a very successful venture.

Although society universally frowns on risk-takers who fail, the truth is that the most successful and the most progressive leaders and entrepreneurs are found among the risk-takers and failure-prone. That indeed, is the secret weapon of all successful people. They look at failure as just part of doing business, learn from it and then try again.

All of us can no doubt think of instances of people who have come back from embarrassing defeat to achieve resounding success later in life. I recall my earliest and most impressive example occurred when I was less than 10 years old. I clearly recall the circumstance when one of my father’s very close friends announced to him one Sunday morning, that his business had failed and he was forced to declare bankruptcy at the age of 55. Undaunted he started a new business and by dint of commitment and hard work grew it into a multi-million dollar success within a few years. Several years later I asked him the reason for his success, his reply was simply: “I learnt from losing everything.”

         In 1980, as a result of a series of events, some predictable, others beyond my control, and despite attaining substantial success, both socially and professionally, I made the decision to relocate. The move for me, at best, was daunting, the pressure upon my wife and young family was formidable and the uncertainty of the future success was substantial. However, despite several periods of wavering doubt in my mind, I knew that defeat was never an option. Ultimately success was achieved, beyond my expectations. I learnt more about myself during this period than at any other time of my life. I learnt the true wisdom of a motto that had been my late father’s, and continues to be a favorite of my own. It is one that I willingly pass on to my children:                                                                                      

“It does not matter how many times you fall.

What matters is that you get up each time you do.

-You will fail only when you do not get up”

I have no doubt that all successful risk-takers will have no difficulty in identifying with the words of Paul Tillich, the Christian Theologian and Philosopher:

“He who risks and fails can be forgiven.
He who never risks and never fails is a

failure in his whole being.”

The road of life is covered with endless numbers of people who stumbled and fell but failed to get up, and remained on the ground lamenting their life, their opportunities and their bad luck.

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