The Courage to Fail by Dee M. Robinson
There was a time, years ago, when you got around on your hands and knees. And you were fine with that. It worked. Most of the time, you got where you wanted to go.
But one day, the people around you started doing the strangest thing. They began holding you up in such a way that you had to stand on your own two feet. It seemed impossible at first for you to maintain your balance, even when you held on to someone’s hand.
You failed. You fell. And fell. And fell again. But eventually you got the hang of it. Kind of.
Then the people around you—never satisfied—started trying to get you to take a step forward while you were balanced, precariously, on those tiny feet of yours. You thought they were kidding at first. But they just wouldn’t stop bugging you about this. They’d stand you up in a place where you couldn’t hold on to anything for support, then move away from you, then beckon for you to move toward them!
Were they crazy? You just got the standing thing down!
But they kept this up for long enough that eventually you thought you might as well give it a try. So you tried taking a step.
And you failed. You fell. And fell. And fell again.
It hurt to fall down. And you had to do it dozens, maybe hundreds of times before you finally managed a queasy forward step or two. Truth be told, it was a little like falling. But you managed to stay on your feet. And pretty soon, you were walking, with total confidence, four or five or even six steps at a time.
Every step you took was the result of failure. Every step you take now is a testament to your ability to learn from those failures.
Moral: Even your “biggest” failure contains the seeds for your greatest success…as long as you are willing to notice the lessons and learn from the experience.
Dee M. Robinson is an entrepreneurial leader who leverages strategic thinking to find innovative solutions that scale businesses. In 1995, she founded Robinson Hill, a concessions management firm specializing in retail and restaurants at airports and other nontraditional venues. In everything she does personally and professionally, she strives to help others and shorten the runway to success, empower people and organizations to overcome fear and limitations, and elevate their thinking about what is possible. Her new book, Courage By Design: Ten Commandments +1 for Moving Past Fear to Joy, Fulfillment, and Purpose, is available on November 15, 2022 from Sound Wisdom.