The #1 Predictor of Success
What do all successful people have in common?
You might guess intelligence, talent, or love of the spotlight. Maybe a certain upbringing?
No, no, no and no.
Scientists have shown that the number one predictor of success is failure.
That’s right.
Failing over and over again and still getting up and continuing to try is what makes people successful.
Take Michael Jordan. He was cut from the varsity basketball team his sophomore year in college. Rather than let it defeat him, he used it as motivation to work harder and improve. He went on to become the greatest basketball player of all time.
Abraham Lincoln failed in business in 1831, suffered a nervous breakdown in 1836, and was defeated in his run for president in 1856. Clearly, he was no stranger to rejection and failure. But, because he refused to see his failures as reasons to give up, he persevered and went on to become one of the greatest presidents of the United States.
Walt Disney’s first company went bankrupt. He was once fired from a newspaper for “not being creative enough.” Yet he went on to be the genius behind Disney Studios.
Sometimes, our society teaches us that it is not okay to fail. But, in reality, failure is simply an opportunity to learn. By making mistakes, we learn what not to do. There will be tons of mistakes and failures on the road to success, but each one is a chance to learn a lesson and improve.
Fear of failure held me back for most of my life.
But the truth is: Everyone has failed, and everyone will fail again. We sometimes forget that all successful people have failed. The difference between them and the rest of the population is that they never gave up. That is the key: To use your failures as lessons—both as an opportunity to improve and motivation to continue.
Failure and struggles can break you down and stop you in your tracks, or they can help you to become stronger and fight harder for what you want.
You get to decide.
Will you rise up and accept the challenges life throws at you? Or will you give up?
Remember this: Without struggles and failures we cannot appreciate the good times.
Everything that happens in our lives makes us who we are. Good, bad, and ugly.
I think we need to be less afraid of failing and more afraid of not trying.
I believe that we all need to start failing—and start failing often—because that is how we will succeed.
In the words of Albert Einstein, “Failure really is just success in progress.”
So are you ready to fail?
Check out my blog post on how I learned to overcome my fears and live the life of my dreams!
If you are looking for more motivation, inspiration, support and training, join my FB Group ACHIEVE SUCCESS.