by Jan Kelleter

Created on: February 16, 2010

The Importance of Failure

Black and white (or red) is what defines our success within the business realm and is often what we are gauged on. However, failure has often been the precursor to success.  Too much false negativity towards the failure is expensed. This is justified by dollars and cents rather than the multiple scenarios, procedures, actions, and execution that caused the failure. How important is failure to success? Are all failures a success? And how can it be measured to properly identify the importance? To examine the importance of failure, we must define what success and failure mean. Not in the dictionary context, but in the definition of how each is judged in our business and personal life. Such examination comes from those around you and those who influence your success or failure.

Failure is as rare as success. Yes, the rarity of complete failure is about the same as success. However, don’t believe that all failures lead to successes. With each failure comes its own ending. Bad. Good. OK. Each time creating its own unique alternative and obtuse path to what could have been. However, does failure influence you on your next decision? With each failure, you either gain the key to decipher what it takes to succeed or you do not. Recognition is the key. Do we now learn the affects of failure and put it to good use? Its up to the person, the individual, and how they assimilate the outcome into their daily functions. What one discerns as a successful decision, another discerns as an analytical decision of past and previous failures that produces the outcome, a successful outcome. The importance of failure to success is as important to the failures that do not lead to success.  There is no mathematical or scientific formula that. This is very disconcerting to those who measure failure or success by a mathematical or dollar value. Such cannot recognize the sequential events that derived the failure. Therefore, failure is not realized and cannot be important in success. Can it?

Success is an endured quality. Notoriety. Confidence. Immortality. Yes, immortality. A sense that nothing can affect the outcome of what you are going to do next. No ruin can come from your decisions. The never - ending high of never identifying a failure or a failure never identified within the process of what is expected. Success does breed success. Within the context of success, there are no failures. No disappointments, no failed tests. Or do we identify the failures we have endured to create the path? This would seem more logical. However, failure is not measured in the same context. Success is the result of the expected outcome.

Within each failure is a success as well as each success ultimately having failures. The importance of failure is up to the individual. How they respond and what level of importance they put to such failure. Is it a complete failure? Failure should be examined, reflected upon, and have the ability to change the future outcome of a similar situation to a successful venture. 

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