Failing is the New Cool

Over the weekend I watched the movie, Bedtime Stories, with my son. It's a great Adam Sandler flick about a hotel handyman (Sandler) whose life changes when the lavish bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to magically come true. Now, the reason I'm telling you this is because in the story when Sandler first meets his "fair maiden" (who can't stand him at first), she comments that his hair looks goofy. Then, Sandler says, "Goofy is the new handsome."

Well, with respect to Sandler and the movie, I'm going to change it up a little to fit the context of our conversation today. My new phrase is, "Failing is the New Cool."

You can't have success without failure. Just like you can't have light without dark. You need them both to have each other.

Now, if you're already a successful entrepreneur, you know this. You understand that the more times you fail, the closer you are to success. In contrast, if you're an unsuccessful entrepreneur (on your way to success), you have to understand that to succeed you must fail. But, more importantly, you have to have the right attitude toward failure. It's your attitude toward failure that will determine your level of success.

Let's take a look at failure and the attitude successful entrepreneurs have toward it:

Failing is Testing - Dan Kennedy, the millionaire maker and direct response marketing genius said, "In direct mail, what most people consider a failure, we consider a test." You see, the attitude toward failure for Kennedy is: there is no failure, only testing.

That's all failing is. Testing. And when your test goes south, test again. And then again. And maybe even again. Until you get it right.

Failing is an Art Form - Charles F. Kettering, an American inventor, a holder of over 300 patents, and the founder of Delco, said, "It is not a disgrace to fail. Failing is one of the greatest arts in the world." To Kettering, failing was an art form. And it had to be as an inventor.

When inventing, you fail tens, hundreds, and maybe even thousands of times before you get it right. The key is to learn from your failures so you can fail less and less before succeeding.

Failing is Cool - Dexter Yager, the biggest Amway distributor of all time, said, "Real confidence comes from winning and losing...and winning and losing...and winning and losing enough that you know the difference...and that you understand that every time you lose, you're only stumbling forward to win again."

That's how successful entrepreneurs can continue to take risks and succeed, while everyone else pulls back. They have confidence. They've been there before. They have a good idea of what will take place. If they didn't fail somewhere along the line, they wouldn't have the confidence they have.

In closing, you will fail. It's only a matter of time. If that bothers you, you're in the wrong profession. Entrepreneurs fail more than any other profession on earth. But remember, it's your attitude toward failure that will determine your level of success.

Grab onto the attitudes that failing is testing, failing is an art form, and failing is cool; and you too will become successful...if not already, soon!