Failure is Fertilizer

What is failure? The more I think about failure the more I’m unsure of what it is. Failure in and of itself seems like it warrants a simple definition. I picture Alex Trebek calling out the category Loser.  But the deeper I dive into great men and women throughout history it becomes clear that the failures are what made them great not the successes. Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections, failed twice in business, and managed to mix in a nervous breakdown before we crowned him one of our greatest presidents.  Is it possible that failures are the organic matter we need to prep the soil for greatness?

If that is true, then why do we fight it? To me, failure comes to those that try. If you don’t try, then you don’t fail. Wouldn’t that mean that the more you fail the more you have tried? Don’t we applaud people that stretch the boundaries of their lives? Ok, now I’m totally confused. It feels like I should be telling my kids to grow up and be failures. That can’t be right. 

Maybe failure is like fertilizer. It’s not the fruit your hoping for but it’s the necessary ingredients one needs to grow the fruit. Not just any fruit, tasty fruit. The kind of fruit that people right books about. In this way, failure should be seen as a badge of honor. A mark on your sleeve that says I’m going for it. Failure is liberating. To attempt and fail is setting the groundwork for a plentiful harvest down the road. 

As I look back on my 42 years on the planet, I’m more grateful for the failures I have had then the successes. The reality is the perceived failures were destinations that I thought were the highest calling for my life. Little did I know that these failures fertilized the soil for a journey that has been far greater than the one I was pursuing. 

This week I challenge everyone to share their story. Remember, there is always someone out there who is dealing with the fact that they just blew the biggest opportunity of their life. Pick up a shovel and help them understand the value of the good fertilizer. The future is going to be bountiful, but we need everyone’s failures to help us grow it!