Get Up On That Board and Try Again!

 

Dennis Edwards

My wife and I have come on a three week holiday of rest, relaxation, and spiritual refilling while we also visit with her family in the sunny clime of Tenerife. Yesterday as we relaxed by a natural pool at the north of the island, I was drawn to watch a young group of female surfers not far from the shore. I had over-heard their instructor giving some last minute instructions before they enterred the water. The tide was high and a little rough and off the young women went with their surf-boards into the water.

The instructor left without a board but with two sponge supports to help to keep her afloat. She would stay in the water and try to help position the girls to enable them to catch the waves. As I watched, I noticed that some of the girls would attempt over and over again and be thrown from their boards over and over again. And yet they persisted. Others seemed to be content to sit on their boards and watch the others from the sidelines. They would never get close to where the instructor was giving aid to those who wanted to try and mount the waves.

Finally, one girl managed to mount her board and came roaring toward the natural pool from where I was watching. She had fallen numerous times before, but in the end, she had success. I clapped enthusiastically as she came close and a big smile rose on her face. She had done it. She had perservered and had succeeded.

Watching these events before my eyes brought to mind a lecture I had listened to on YouTube and an article I had read by John Maxwell just a few days before. You can find it at:

https://fightforyourfaith.blogspot.com/2021/07/failing-forward-with-john-maxwell.html

In that talk, or one similar, Maxwell shares the importance of failure in regards to success. In order to succeed, you have got to fail trying. He says we need to fail forward, not backward. Failing forward means that even though we failed, we know we are closer to success because of it. We have learned something important from the failure which will help us in our next attempt. Everyone who ever became successful failed in the process, but they didn’t let failure pull them down. They had the right perspective of failure.

Like the story of George Bernard Shaw who couldn’t public speak. He became a famous public speaker only after forcing himself to confront his difficulty by joining a debating club where he made a fool of himself innumerable times. The girl who surfed to the beach had made a fool of herself in her attempts. But she knew those failures were the price of success. She had failure in its proper perspective. Every time she fell off that board she knew she was getting closer to victory, closer to learning the trick of keeping her balance, closer to mastering the board and becoming an accomplished surfer. She was failing forward.

Those others who stayed comfortably on their boards, fearing even to attempt, never got any further. They never failed and never made a fool of themselves, or swallowed water as they fell into the surf, because they never tried. They stayed comfortable and secure but never tasted the savour of success. They never tasted the thrill of mounting both board and wave to surf esctatically toward the shore.

Friends, if we want to succeed, we need to face failure as the impostor that she is. Failure is the stepping stone to success. If you are not failing, it may very well be that you gave up trying. You have sat down in safety and security, instead of forging ahead to new goals, new challenges, new learning experiences, new failures which lead to new success.

Don’t fail backward by giving up when you fail. Failure is a prerequisite to success. Pick up your board and try again. The waters great and you’ll come home fulfilled and sleep well even though you may have aches and pains for trying. And tomorrow, you may just get up on the board and that wave and ride yourself to victory far greater than you ever thought. Remember our instructor has told us that He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think. But we’ve got to cooperate and get up on that board even if we fail trying! In the end, if we fail forward, we will make it! Here are John Maxwell’s notes on failing backward or failing forward.

“I don’t know what obstacles you are facing in your life right now. But whatever they are doesn’t matter. What does matter is that your life can change if you’re willing to look at failure differently. You have the potential to overcome any problems, mistakes, or misfortunes. All you have to do is learn to fail forward. Look at the way any achiever approaches negative experiences, and you can learn a lot about how to fail forward. Read through these two lists, and determine which one describes your approach to failure: Think about a recent setback you experienced. How did you respond? No matter how difficult your problems were, the key to overcoming them doesn’t lie in changing your circumstances. It’s in changing yourself. That in itself is a process, and it begins with a desire to be teachable. If you’re willing to do that, then you’ll be able to handle failure. From this moment on, make a commitment to do whatever it takes to fail forward.” ~ From his book “Failing Forward”

“Failing Backward: Blaming others. Repeating the same mistake. Expecting never to fail. Expecting to continually fail. Accepting tradition blindly. Being limited by past mistakes. Thinking “I am a failure.” Quitting.”

“Failing Forward: Taking responsibility. Learning from each mistake. Knowing failure is part of the process. Maintaining a positive attitude. Challenging outdated assumptions. Taking new risks. Believing something didn’t work. Persevering.”

The picture above was actually taken the day before. The water wasn’t as rough. Some surfers are seen in the right of the page in the distance in the water. The picture below shows the natural pool. The surfers were surfing off to the left and coming towards the pool.

Happy surfing! Get up on that board and try again. Ride that wave or fail trying!

 

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Failing Forward with John Maxwell

 

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Minute With Maxwell: ‘I Failed’ Versus ‘I’m a Failure’

John Maxwell on “Failing Forward”

“Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.” -Napoleon Hill

When I was growing up, one of the questions I used to hear from motivational speakers was this: “If the possibility of failure were erased, what would you attempt to achieve?” That seemed to be an intriguing question. At the time it prompted me to look ahead to life’s possibilities. But then one day I realized that it was really a bad question. Why? Because it takes a person’s thinking down the wrong track. There is no achievement without failure. To even imply that it might be possible gives people the wrong impression. So here’s a better question: If your perception of and response to failure were changed, what would you attempt to achieve?

I don’t know what obstacles you are facing in your life right now. But whatever they are doesn’t matter. What does matter is that your life can change if you’re willing to look at failure differently. You have the potential to overcome any problems, mistakes, or misfortunes. All you have to do is learn to fail forward. Look at the way any achiever approaches negative experiences, and you can learn a lot about how to fail forward. Read through these two lists, and determine which one describes your approach to failure: Think about a recent setback you experienced. How did you respond? No matter how difficult your problems were, the key to overcoming them doesn’t lie in changing your circumstances. It’s in changing yourself. That in itself is a process, and it begins with a desire to be teachable. If you’re willing to do that, then you’ll be able to handle failure. From this moment on, make a commitment to do whatever it takes to fail forward. ~ From Failing Forward

Failing Backward: Blaming others. Repeating the same mistake. Expecting never to fail. Expecting to continually fail. Accepting tradition blindly. Being limited by past mistakes. Thinking “I am a failure.” Quitting.

 Failing Forward: Taking responsibility. Learning from each mistake. Knowing failure is part of the process. Maintaining a positive attitude. Challenging outdated assumptions. Taking new risks. Believing something didn’t work. Persevering.

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The Reason Why Most People Fail - Don't Make This Mistake | John Maxwell

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Failing Forward | John C. Maxwell | Book Summary

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5 Ways Resilient People Use Failure To Their Advantage

By Amy Morin, Forbes, Dec. 14, 2014

While some people become frozen with fear or immobilized by their emotions, resilient people have a remarkable ability to tolerate distress. They face hard times—professional and personal—with determination to do their best and confidence they’ll be able to handle whatever life throws their way.

Whether they get passed up for a promotion, or they fail to close a deal, resilient people don’t give up on their goals. They view each failure as an opportunity to sharpen their skills and become better. Here are the five strategies resilient people use to bounce back after failure:

1. They practice gratitude. Resilient people recognize that no matter how bad the circumstances are, their situation could always be worse. They don’t allow themselves to exaggerate how terrible their problems are and they don’t run around predicting how much worse things are going to get. Instead, they view failure with an accurate perspective.

Rather than become upset their first attempt didn’t work, resilient people choose to be grateful they had the opportunity to try. They remind themselves that many of today’s setbacks won’t matter next year. Their willingness to look for the silver lining keeps their mood positive as they continue to behave productively, even when things don’t work out the way they’d hoped.

2. They look for the lessons they can learn. Rather than make excuses for their failures, resilient people try to learn from each mistake. They identify skills, ideas, and life lessons that can be learned from each failed opportunity.

They view failure as evidence that they’re stretching themselves to the limits. They know that if they don’t ever fall down, they’re likely not trying hard enough. Each stumble provides proof that they’re pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones, which is an essential component to self-growth.

3. They respect their vulnerabilities. Resilient people aren’t afraid to admit they have weaknesses. Whether an effective leader acknowledges problems within an organization, or an individual recognizes areas in need of personal growth, resilient people use failure as an opportunity to spot their weaknesses.

Rather than dispute their shortcomings or hide their mistakes, resilient people are authentic. Their humble, self-aware approach assists them in developing strategies to become better.

4. They acknowledge their strengths. Resilient people use failure as an opportunity to help them recognize their positive attributes. Whether that means recalling skills they’ve used during tough times in the past, or acknowledging the skills that have helped them get to where they are today, they know their strengths.

When resilient people acknowledge their capabilities, they do so without arrogance. They don’t need to brag to others about their characteristics or achievements. Instead, they’re able to simply acknowledge what they do well so they can use their strengths to their advantage.

5. They create a plan to become better. Instead of viewing failure as the end, resilient people think of it as only the beginning. When their attempt to complete a project or task doesn’t give them the results they want, they pause to consider how to approach the issue differently the next time.

A resilient person’s self-worth isn’t dependent upon achievement. Resilient people are able to feel good about themselves even when they aren’t the best. Their confidence allows them to face repeated failure with tenacity.

Everyone has the ability to develop increased resilience. It’s all about the choices we make and the desire to become better. With hard work, we can learn to use setbacks as opportunities to become better.

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