Fail Your Way To Success: 5 Inspiring Examples

Everyone in life faces failures ever now and then. It’s part of being alive and being human. However, I know from experience, when we are actually going through the trying times, it’s no fun. The hardest battles we face in life are with ourselves, and there is nothing more challenging than going out into the world each day with a smile when you want to give up on the inside.

However, I want to promise you that whatever failures in your life you might be going through right now, with tenacity and perseverance, you will either eventually succeed or they will lead you to another opportunity and a different door will open. We never know what is around the next corner in our lives. The key is to be open and present, and pay attention to everything the universe sends our way. Never stop learning, never stop doing what you love, never give up on your passion, and most importantly, never give up on yourself.

I thought today I would shake things up a little and write about some inspirational people whose stories have really helped me through the years. None of these stories are new, and I’m sure you’ve heard them before. One thing is for sure; they never get old. Every time I watch one of these videos I am re-energized to take on the world. I hope if you are having a bad day or doubting your own greatness, you will read some of these little tidbits, and get up again to tackle the world outside. You were born great, and today is a wonderful day to realize your own greatness! ~Big Hugs~

1. Harrison Ford

If you don’t know Harrison Ford’s story, you will find it fascinating. I shudder every time I think about how close he came to not being Han Solo or Indiana Jones. I can’t imagine those epic characters being played by anyone else. He speaks about failure as being one of the things that motivated him to work hard. Despite being fired, being told he’d never make it in the business, and being rejected on countless occasions, he went on to be one of the most successful actors of all time.

2. Stephen King

Stephen King is one of my favorite authors ever. I am so inspired each time I hear him speak about his journey to success. In case you don’t know, his now famous book Carrie was rejected 30 times. He was so frustrated and discouraged that he took his manuscript and threw it in the garbage can. We’ve all heard the saying that behind every great man is an equally great woman. Stephen King’s wife is the one that picked him up, brushed him off and persuaded him to not give up. She took Carrie out of the trash and asked him to try again. The rest is history. In this video, Stephen King describes what he calls the magic moment that all writers experience.

3. J.K. Rowling

The speech that J.K Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter series, gave at Harvard University in 2008 is one of the most insightful, inspiring messages I’ve ever heard in my life. She says, “Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it… I’m not going to stand here and tell you that failure is fun. That period of my life was a dark one… You may never fail on the scale that I did, but some failure in life is inevitable, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.” Forbes has since named Rowling the first person to become a U.S. dollar billionaire by writing books.

4. Colonel Sanders (KFC)

Do you think you are too old to start a business and become successful? Think again. At age 64, Colonel Sanders retired from his job and received a $105.00 retirement check. He was at a cross roads in his life at that point. He could either retire broke, and live out his golden years in poverty, or he could start fresh again, at age 64. He made a decision to go for it, and set out to sell his chicken recipe. He was turned down 1,005 times before he found a restaurant to use it. I can barely wrap my brain around 1,005 rejections. Being turned down 50 times is a lot, 100 times is a lot… but over 1,000 times? He never gave up, and he always kept the mindset of a winner, regardless of the opinions of others. The rest of the story is KFC history.

5. Michael Jordan

A failure-to-success article would not be complete without including the iconic Michael Jordan. Did you know he was cut from his high school basketball team because his coach said he wasn’t good enough? His now famous Nike commercial from 2006 still inspires many people around the world daily. In my opinion, he has one of the best outlooks on failure ever. I’ve probably seen this little video 50 times, and it never gets old. He sums it up as; “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And, that is why I succeed. ” ~ Michael Jordan

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