Are you scared to death of failing? Could trying over and over, even when you keep failing, possibly be the key to success for you?

Have you ever read Michael Jordan’s famous quote on the subject? He says,

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Do You Have the Right Goal?

John C. Maxwell shares a parable about an art teacher in Attitude 101.

A ceramics teacher runs an experiment with his class. He splits his students into two groups at the start of the semester – one that he’ll grade on the quantity of work they produce and the other on quality.

At the end of the semester, he’ll bring in his bathroom scale and weigh the quantity group’s projects. Any student who creates 50 pounds of pottery will earn an A, 40 pounds a B, and so on.

But he’ll grade the quality group on one pot. It just needs to be perfect.

In the parable, when the end of the semester rolls around, a funny thing happens. The quantity group not only produces the most pottery, they also create works of the highest quality.

You see, the problem was that the quality group never really made any pots. They just sat around theorizing, debating, and discussing what a great pot should look like and how an artist should go about creating it. But they never took any action.

The quantity group, however, got busy making art. A lot of it. They made numerous mistakes and failed again and again. But each time they blew it, they got a little better. The lessons they learned from their mistakes propelled them to excellence.

And so it is with anyone who wants to improve.

What Do You Want to Accomplish?

I just grasped this lesson. If I’m going to become a better writer, I have to write frequently, consistently, and prolifically. I shouldn’t worry so much about creating a perfect post. I should instead get busy stringing ideas together, communicating, and learning from my mistakes. That’s the key to success.

What do you need to try? Where is a preoccupation with perfection keeping you from making progress?

Seth Godin says, “If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.”

Are you wanting to get to know a girl but hesitant to ask any out? Maybe you should start asking all the cool girls you know if they’d like to go on a date. It’ll be scary but worth it.

Do you want to take your work to the next level? Then what are you trying that you’ve never tried before? What are you doing on the job that scares you and that pushes you out of your comfort zone?

Maybe you want to get out of debt, but the mountain of bills in front of you is just too overwhelming. Could change start with trying something new? With putting together your first budget? Your first step could be the key to success for you.

Are you in need of a community to support and encourage you? Would you like more trustworthy friends? Who have you talked to recently? Where have you gone to find those friends? What steps can you take to get out there and meet people?

Imaginary Walls

When Michael Jordan and John C. Maxwell spoke about trying, they were talking about pushing themselves out of their comfort zone and past mental barriers. Much of the real progress we make in life comes when we tackle self-limiting beliefs.

And often times the obstacles are just in our head.

I  appreciate what Chad. R. Allen has to say about overcoming mental obstacles in his post A Writer’s 3-Step Guide to Eliminating the Fear of Rejection.

He starts by describing fear as a wall that stands between you and your goals. Then, he goes on to say:

“You turn away from the wall, walk several paces, and then turn back to face it. You screw up your courage to bust through, and you run. You run for all your worth. A half-second before you make contact you’re convinced this is going to hurt like [crazy], and then . . . nothing.

Now you’re on the other side of it. You look back, and you realize that barrier […] was just a vapor.”

So what is it that you need to try? Where do you need to leverage the key to success?

Don’t let fear of failure hold you back any longer!