Vision and Fear 3
ANOTHER of man’s greatest fears is the fear of failure. How many times have you had it said, “Success has many fathers; failure is an orphan”?
This is Leading Right. Thank you for tuning in. I am Abiodun Fijabi.
We live in a crazy world. We over dramatize failure as if it were an end. Bad news sells. Newspapers, televisions, radios and the Internet compete for prominence in disseminating news of astounding failures. We read and hear of people that fall from grace to grass. Of popular politicians that lose to underdogs because they dare to stand for something; of rich men that lose it all to bad judgments; of homes that crash because of one indiscretion; of businesses that lose out while blazing a new trail…
We might think we are trying to prevent future failure, but in essence we are killing the society’s venturing spirit. In our nation today, majority of people believe it is too risky to try new things. We are more likely to maintain the status quo than to inspire change. We hate to rock the boat because the society is inpatient with failure. A footballer displays inspirational plays and becomes an instant celebrity. He loses form in a couple of matches and the song changes. He becomes a subject of ridicule. No one remembers his heroic past. We only live for the moment.
If only we would stop to learn from Winston Churchill, the War-time Prime Minister of Britain, we would realize that success is not the absence of failure. Success, in the words of Churchill, is moving from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.
Visionaries do not see failure as the end of their dreams. It is a part of the process. In fact; a vital raw material for their success. That explains why they make failure a friend, a partner and a teacher. From the hard lessons of failure a visionary leader learns to sharpen and redirect his skills, set new goals and move against the odds with greater determination. It is therefore not possible for great visionaries to fear failure.
Challenge your fear of failure today by taking that step that will change your life, family or the society. If you fail, good for you. You will have learnt from the experience and be better positioned for a sweeter victory tomorrow. And if you win, you will have learnt sufficiently from the victory to prepare you to challenge even greater fears.
This is Leading Right. Thank you for tuning in. I am Abiodun Fijabi.
We live in a crazy world. We over dramatize failure as if it were an end. Bad news sells. Newspapers, televisions, radios and the Internet compete for prominence in disseminating news of astounding failures. We read and hear of people that fall from grace to grass. Of popular politicians that lose to underdogs because they dare to stand for something; of rich men that lose it all to bad judgments; of homes that crash because of one indiscretion; of businesses that lose out while blazing a new trail…
We might think we are trying to prevent future failure, but in essence we are killing the society’s venturing spirit. In our nation today, majority of people believe it is too risky to try new things. We are more likely to maintain the status quo than to inspire change. We hate to rock the boat because the society is inpatient with failure. A footballer displays inspirational plays and becomes an instant celebrity. He loses form in a couple of matches and the song changes. He becomes a subject of ridicule. No one remembers his heroic past. We only live for the moment.
If only we would stop to learn from Winston Churchill, the War-time Prime Minister of Britain, we would realize that success is not the absence of failure. Success, in the words of Churchill, is moving from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.
Visionaries do not see failure as the end of their dreams. It is a part of the process. In fact; a vital raw material for their success. That explains why they make failure a friend, a partner and a teacher. From the hard lessons of failure a visionary leader learns to sharpen and redirect his skills, set new goals and move against the odds with greater determination. It is therefore not possible for great visionaries to fear failure.
Challenge your fear of failure today by taking that step that will change your life, family or the society. If you fail, good for you. You will have learnt from the experience and be better positioned for a sweeter victory tomorrow. And if you win, you will have learnt sufficiently from the victory to prepare you to challenge even greater fears.
posted by Abiodun Fijabi at 7:30 PM
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