Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success

by John C. Maxwell

“A winner knows how much he still has to learn, even when he is considered an expert by others. A loser wants to be considered an expert by others before he has learned enough to know how little he knows.”

You cannot find out what you can do unless you do all you can to find out what went wrong.

“The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.”

If you’re committed, a failure doesn’t mean that you’ll never succeed. It just means you will take longer. Commitment makes you capable of failing forward until you reach your goals.

If you continually give in to your moods or impulses, then you need to change your approach to doing things. The best method is to set standards for yourself that require accountability. Suffering a consequence for not following through helps you stay on track. Once you have your new standards in place, work according to them, not your moods.

The greater your talent, the more likely you are to lean heavily on it and skip the hard day-to-day work of improving it.

More than anything else, having a sense of purpose keeps a person going in the midst of adversity. It is the fuel that powers persistence.

“In this life, we get only those things for which we hunt, for which we strive, and for which we are willing to sacrifice. It is better to aim for something you want—even though you miss it—than to get something that you didn’t aim to get, and which you don’t want! If we look long enough for what we want in life we are almost sure to find it, no matter what that objective may be.”

Every time you face mistakes and attempt to move forward in spite of them is a test of character. There always comes a time when giving up is easier than standing up, when giving in looks more attractive than digging in. And in those moments, character may be the only thing you have to draw on to keep you going.

“The key to making it through treatment and succeeding is accepting that you have a problem—that you drink too much—accepting where you are, and moving on from there,” Dave asserts. “The people who go through treatment and don’t stay sober fail because they believe they’re right. They won’t take responsibility for themselves. The key to change is surrender.”