JR walked to the Toastmaster’s lectern bright eyed and ready to make her first speech in front of the group. Her voice and hands trembled slightly as she started with a familiar question, “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail”. Then, she took the speech in a different direction than I thought, we probably all thought, she was going to go. JR went on to discuss making clothes and how she defines failure as it relates to that, and then took it further describing how she reduces her chances of failure by repurposing material and reusing patterns. She was wearing two visual aids, her cardigan (she made that!?) and her dress that was made out of an old tablecloth. The looks around the room spoke volumes, no way! We were so busy being amazed that she made those lovely pieces that we were surprised when she told us that each one represented, what started out to her, as a failure. 

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The word failure has been used in so many ways that we don’t know if we are supposed to be motivated by it or scared of it. Is it good or is it bad? Do we embrace it or shun it? Is there a middle ground? Do we Fail Forward, Chase Failure, Drift Into Failure, Triumph Through Failure, see The Gift of Failure, Anticipate Failure, or have A Love Affair with Failure? These are just seven of hundreds of books on failure. So where do we start? Who do we listen to? What is the right answer? 

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This book examines the definition of failure, breaks down and puts the parts in perspective, looks at the different sides and shades of it, and teaches you how place “failure” where it belongs, on your terms, so that you are equipped to be in charge of your life and forward movement. 

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Each book in the Ignite and Inspire series is born from 20 years of mentoring and helping people. While you and I may not be face-to-face, you do have access to resources that I suggest for each book sorted by chapter on MsJoysPlace.com, as well as a Discussion Group. Bring your questions and your expertise. Everyone has something to add. 

 

Take Note and What to Expect

• This book is for your personal life, not your business or non-profit. Although you can apply some of this information to those, this book is specific to you as an individual and not how to run a successful venture. 

• There will be a lot of examples in this book to help visualize a concept. Please do not let the simplicity of them bother you. A simple explanation makes it easier to learn a complex concept. If you find yourself in a way worse situation than the simple example, please know that you can still apply the information to your situation. If you find yourself at a sticking point, look up the resources for this book on my website or reach out to the Discussion Group.

• Every book in this series is intentionally compact. All of the fluff is removed to get right to the heart of the matter. These books may be small, but they are dense with information, insight, and help. Their purpose is to help you see that you can, and get you headed in the right direction. Remember that you will get out of it what you put into it.

• You will need paper and something to write with (journal and pen, notepad and pencil, whatever it looks like for you). Go ahead and get those now. As you read, jot down things that come to mind, and also use it to answer the questions you come across as they apply to you or your situation. You will be glad that you tracked your journey!

 

Failure Analysis

Before diving into our examination of failure, let’s set up a plan so that you can learn as you go through the book. We will start by looking at failure analysis. 

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As defined by sciencedirect.com “The failure analysis is a technical procedure to investigate the root cause of failure of a product, equipment, or an unintentional mistake in designing, manufacturing, or any unseen problem in a continuous process.”

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As defined by marketbusinessnews.com “Failure analysis involves investigating how something failed, why it failed, and how to prevent it from happening again. It is a systematic and logical examination of a machine or equipment.” 

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As defined by corrosionpedia.com “Failure analysis is the systematic investigation of a part failure with the objectives of determining the root causes of failure and the corrective actions needed to prevent future failures. Failures occur when some system or part of a system fails to perform up to the expectations for which it was created.”

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Site after site defines failure analysis pretty much the same way. While they are referring to objects, I proposed that you use this idea for yourself.

 

How? First, you will do basic analysis as you go through the book. Then you will take the ideas, lessons, and new perspectives with you and immediately apply these things as needed as you go through your days. If a bump or caution comes along, you will use the tools gained from reading and applying what you have learned in this book; and failure as you once saw it, will be a thing of the past. 

 

1. As you read: Once you realize that a specific part applies to you, take a personal inventory. Don’t just read through these pages and expect that walla! all is well with your world. You will need to put in effort to evaluate what is being said and match it up with your life to see if you need to make an adjustment. Take time to fully engage in the process of answering any questions and looking inward at what can be adjusted or applied before going to the next section. 

 

2. As you go through life: Once you are done with this book, you will be more equipped to view “failure” in a different light. Having gained other viewpoints, your feelings toward it should be such that you feel empowered to really look at the situation and place it in a healthy and useful perspective.  Do this each time you find yourself shifting back to an old pattern or thought process. Keep making the effort and it will quickly become second nature!

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Good or Bad?

Good and bad is relative to a situation. They are morals that you assign based on your preconceived ideas and perceptions; reality as you see it at that moment in time. However, in this book, specifically toward the word “failure”, I am not referring to the morals of good and evil, or speaking of religion or theology in any way. I am strictly using the thought that “there is no good or bad” to frame how we should see something that didn’t go right, or as some would phase it: a “failure”.

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Why? Once we add a moral judgement to this word, we deepen the impact, positively or negatively. When we step back and view a familiar subject in a different way (removing any moral or emotion toward it), we can see it in a light that we may not have known could exist. We open ourselves to revelation and enlightenment that can untangle the emotions and connection to it that, in most cases, shackle us to concepts that can make us feel “less than” or “not good enough”, slowly stripping away our self-esteem and eventually how we value ourselves. Then life gets darker and grimmer, slowly evaporating the creativity and enthusiasm with which we used to start a new skill or project.  For the purpose of learning, we will stay neutral in our feelings toward failure in an effort to evaluate it in its various forms, and pull away from any emotional attachment or preconceived idea.

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Since the concept ‘there is no good and bad when we refer to the word failure’ may be new to you, I will repeat and rephrase what I am saying because it is imperative that we start off on the right foot. I am not saying that good and evil do not exist. I am not saying that morals do not or should not exist. I am saying that in the case of this subject, failure, if we stay middle of the road, neutral, and assign no “good” or “bad” to it, we will be able to view it afresh and rewire our perceptions, thus increasing the daylight in our lives and bring back an excitement, adventure, and maybe even fun to trying new things or trying again at something we set aside or gave up on. 

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To sum up, while we are considering the various aspects of what is called failure, there is no good or bad. It just “is”. At this time, place the word in neutral as best as you can so that as we go through the various topics relating to it, it will be easier for you to turn it over and examine all sides without reservation. If you feel yourself feel some type of way as a new topic is brought to light, let that be your clue to take a moment and breathe, shift your opinion of it into neutral, and read that section with an open mind. This is where change, healing, and growth happens.

I will continue to use the words “good” and “bad” throughout the book for ease in explaining complex and often interwoven concepts, subjects, and categories, as well as pointing out how the majority view a specific aspect of the word. 

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As with most subjects, “failure” does not fit neatly into any box; most often overflowing into and intermingling with other root sources, subjects, and thought processes. I have done my best to separate the subjects out so that we can examine them. As you read, keep in mind the web of thoughts and emotions, of past and present, that make up we humans. 

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Failing, and worse, feeling like a failure, is a miserable place to be. So, let’s get on the road to removing its power over us by understanding how and why we see it as we do.