Stop Being Stupid, in the face of failure.

What if told our problems originate from us? What would you say if I told you, you’re the instigator of your failures? Would you berate me? Would you insult me by saying I don’t understand?

We tend to shine the spotlight on our good deeds but turn it off when success eludes us. In both cases we consider these situations as opposite. We treat them differently. We elevate success while we hide failure.

It should be the opposite. Failure must have the brightest light thrown upon it. Place it on a pedestal for all to see. Because within every failed attempt at something hides a lesson to learn from. And if you don’t emphasis the failure, how can the lesson be discovered?

Society has put so much emphasis on success and winning that an illusion was born out of it, blinding us to the fact that there is something else that supports each and every accomplishment.

We look at successful people and we don’t see the failures and obstacles they had to surmount to achieve their goals. Take Steve Jobs, for example. We see innovation and changes to an industry. Great products evolved from his success and determination. The company Jobs created offers a profound impact on the world. In the face of his success hides failure. He was fired from the board of his company. He was forced out of Apple.

Can you imagine being in his shoes, forced out of the company you created? All this spells failure. Jobs didn’t act stupid and hide his head in the sand. He didn’t abandon any of his goals. He starts a new company called NeXT. Jobs bought a computer division from George Lucas and calls it Pixar. Innovation until Apple crawled back to him to ask him back to the company. The rest is history.

He didn’t act stupid and so, shouldn’t you. Embrace failure and flaunt it. Because without it, success doesn’t happen. Michael Jordan didn’t even make the varsity basketball team at his high school. He was placed on the junior varsity team. That was a devastating failure for Jordan. After picking himself up off the floor, Jordan did what champions do. He let his failure and disappointment drive him to work harder. He played on the junior varsity team, and he worked himself to the limit. It became a pattern throughout Jordan’s life that a disappointment or setback resulted in a redoubling of effort.

Now when you face a challenge or a setback, don’t hide from it. Use it as the fuel to drive yourself to new heights. Dissect the obstacle and find a way to overcome it. Don’t be stupid in the face of failure. Act upon it and create the success that you want for yourself.