Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I want to open up this topic for discussion.  I know I need to remind myself to think of failure only inside of its proper context.

Failure: omission of occurrence to perform a duty or expected action, a state of inability to perform a normal function, an abrupt cessation of normal functioning, a fracturing or giving way under stress, lack of success, falling short, a deficiency.

How do you define failure?

Katherine

Katherine,

Interesting topic and one that is probably on any business owner`s mind. Failure and the definition of it comes in many forms. While you define what appears to be the dictionaries explanation, I’m sure most of us define it more in everyday terms. We failed to meet our financial goals, we failed to reach as many people in our target audience, we failed to work less hours, we failed to do this or do that. All of these can be addressed in different ways. Like, re-evaluate the situation in a positive light, not rose colored glasses, but look at the positive and scale back the goal. Instead of financial defeat, did you pay your bills and was your family fed? If so, then it wasn’t a failure, but possibly an unobtainable goal. Were you trying to reach 5 million people with 50,000 brochures?

Failure is about perspective.

I`ve always been a fairly positive person and many tell me I exude confidence when I’m in a meeting or in life in general, when in fact in private I fret and worry like anyone else. The old “don’t let them see you sweat” comes to mind but not to the point of arrogance. Everyone can detect arrogant people and shy away from them. However, I try and balance it with good personal relationships and when I’m wrong or something didn’t go as I planned, I have no problem admitting that it may have been done better, or not the right decision, but, I quickly get over the bump, look for another course of action to reach the goal and move on.

So, I actually don’t see failure as an option when pursuing anything, business, sports, hobbies etc... I see everything as “Opportunities” and “Problems to be solved”. These are my keys to addressing the old “Failure” definition. I know this may sound trite, but it’s how I face the day and have made a pretty successful career and now hopefully a business. All obstacles that may be excuses for some to proclaim failure are nothing but problems to be solved, brick walls to be hammered through or cliffs to be scaled or repelled depending on whether you’re looking up or down.

Lastly, I think that in any endeavor, one must have an exit strategy or back-up plan. I know it sounds cliche’ but have a Plan-A and then a Plan-B in case Plan-A goes awry. Sometimes you have to make Plan-B up on the fly. But, having the thought and not proclaiming defeat is the goal.


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Shane Cooper http://www.altitudedreamcars.com - Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success!

Failure to me is when you stop trying.

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Our Goal Is Your Success!
Founder Girls with Goals

Stonesledge - that is just what I was thinking this morning.

You only fail when you give up trying.

There is a sign on a barn near my home that reads "Success is getting up one more time than you fall."  I guess failure would be not getting up when you fall down.

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The Anniversary Shop, online store for traditional and modern anniversary gifts Plug-In Profit Site Work at Home Ideas and Opportunities

I would say failure really is dictated by how you define success.

One person`s failures may be another`s success in a given situation. Say you were looking for a ratio of 40% sales based off of cold calls to 500 homes.

Another person making calls to the same 500 may be willing to accept a 20% sales to call it a success and the end to a happy day.

I think the actual failure is the unacceptance of what you are willing to settle for.

I succeed every day in life due to the fact that I`m able to get out of bed every morning, get on the computer and get some work done, play some video games in the course of the day, get my dog out of the pen and let her sit on my lap and just love on her, and then get to see my wife when she comes home from work.

I go to bed each night satisfied that I`ve accomplished things I needed to get done and those which I wanted to do. That to me, my friends, is my success.

Dan

Failure is perspective. You may not get something right or achieve a goal, but that doesn`t exactly mean that it was a failure. Everyone has heard the story about Edison creating the telephone. He told the reporter that he didn`t fail all those times, he just found out all the ways that didn`t work.

Perspective is reality and as long as you don`t give up then you can`t truly fail, you just find out ways that don`t work.

You need to have some sort of exit point based on time, dollars or something else.  You may need to go to market with a new strategy from what you learned through the first attempt.

I enjoyed reading all the wonderful responses.  I only used the dictionary definition of failure as a starting point.  My definition would have looked like the definition of success.  Apparently, everyone sees failure as not failure at all.  This is positive.  It means there is always opportunity.  Making mistakes is human and learning to make mistakes often leads to amazing discoveries.  Recently, I listened to Now, Discover Your Strengths.  I found out that natural talents and strengths don`t fail us.  Concentrating on weaknessess stops us from growing.

So, how do you define success if failure isn`t negative?

Success. Hmm. That`s a good question.

I would say success to me is the contributing factor which leads to your happiness. As I`m happy most of the time, I guess you`d call me successful most of the time. =))

It works for me.

Dan

 

I subscribe to the "Successful Failure" line of thought.  If you learn from and adjust the way you do things as a result of what some people consider a failure than it is not a failure at all.  It was just as with the light bulb story...sometimes knowing what doesn`t work or work well is more valuable than knowing what does.