Or is it "Defeat"!
Is it simply an issue of semantics, or is suffering a Failure more significant than a Defeat. More importantly, have you suffered a Setback, a Defeat or a Failure? Defining it properly and seeing it in its proper perspective is critical to subsequent outcomes.
The most important aspect is to determine whether:
The most important aspect is to determine whether:
- You can learn anything from the situation (whether Setback, Failure or Defeat) so as not to repeat it,
- You can recover and move on,
- You will allow the situation to make YOU a Failure or can you successfully separate YOURSELF from the SITUATION and move on toward your goals?
The Blessing in a "Failure"!
"Analyze failure under whatsoever circumstances you choose and you will discover the profound truth that every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent benefit"
- You Can Work Your Own Miracles
Napoleon Hill
Setback, Defeat or Failure?
Define it Properly!
If you are going to consider a given circumstance or situation as being a "Failure", make sure you have the correct definition!From Webster's New World Dictionary:
Setback - "2. to reverse or hinder the progress of ..."
Defeat- "1. to win victory over; overcome; beat, 2. to bring to nothing; frustrate, 3. to make null and void, 4. to undo; destroy ..."
Failure - "1. the act, state or fact of failing; specifically, a) a falling short, b) a losing of power or strength, c) a breakdown in operation or function, d) neglect or omission, e) a not succeeding in doing or becoming, f) a becoming bankrupt; 2. a person or thing that fails ..."
"Most so-called failures are only temporary defeats which can be converted into assets of a priceless nature if one takes a Positive Mental Attitude toward them"
- You Can Work Your Own Miracles
Napoleon Hill
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm"
- Winston Churchill
CRISIS
The chinese ideogram for "CRISIS" contains the characters for "Danger" AND "Opportunity"
Perspectives to Consider
When dealing with Setbacks
1. STOP using "Failure" wth reference to setbacks and, IN PARTICULAR, with reference to YOURSELF!. Circumstances may conspire to produce a failure in a given venture, however, that does not make YOU a Failure!2. Don't take a Setback personally! A venture may have suffered a SETBACK or even failed, however, you stilll have potential to pursue other ventures. If a given Setback was a result of something you did / didn't do - learn from it so it doesn't happen again. If a failure was the result of a weakness you have, ADDRESS the weakness! If you require education, get it. If you lack confidence, use the wealth of Personal Development tools available to you to increase your Self-Confidence.
3. Be Prepared! Proper evaluation and thorough assessment of risk wil help you prepare to a possible setback of any given venture. Think of the application process for a loan at a bannk, for instance. Ideally, a Loans Officer wants as much detail with regard to your financial resources as possble so as to assess the risk associated with the loan. Similarly, assess the risk of the ventures you propose to enter and prepare a plan for both its possible success AND possible failure.
4. Fail Intelligently! A mouse in a maze, searching for the cheese at the centre, needs to make a correct (Success) or wrong (Failure) choice at each opening. After a mnumber of successive tries, the mouse eventually learns the faster route to the centre. In similar manner, life oftens presents us with choices and it is inevitable that we will make some wrong choices, perceived as Setbacks, Failures ot otherwise. We need to learn from wrong choices and move on to towards our goals.
5. Never Give Up! "Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense"
- Winston Churchill
(The man who saw England through the Battle of Britain in World War II - What more need I say?)
How you Perceive Your Setback
Will it become a Failure or a Defeat?
Perception is so critical in so many aspects of life and life's setbacks are no exception. One person sees "The glass half full", while the another sees "The glass half empty".How you perceive any setback you face will determine the extent of its effects. The last year has seen us face, globally, the worst recession since the Great Depression of 1929 and many have been affected to varying degrees. The last year has seen virtually all of us face setbacks. Whether they become Failures or Defeats is up to us.
Failure leading to Success
"I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed."
- Michael Jordan
Personal Growth in times of Personal Crisis
"Many people have to admit that most of what they really needed for success in life came to them through their most difficult and painful experiences. ... With time and perspective most of us can see good reasons for at least some of the tragedy and pain that occurs in life"
- The Reason for God
Timothy Keller
Is there a Lesson to be Learned?
Joseph of the Many Coloured Coat
I found this interesting perspective on "Defeat" in Timothy Keller's "The Reason for God":
"As a pastor, I've often preached on the story of Joseph in Genesis. Joseph was an arrogant young man who was hated by his brothers. In their anger at him, they imprisoned him in a pit and then sold him into a life of slavery and misery in Egypt. Doubtless Joseph prayed to God to help him escape, but no help was forthcoming, and into slavery he went. Though he experienced years of bondage and misery, Joseph's character was refined and strengthened by his trials. Eventually he rose up to become a prime minister of Egypt who saved thousands of lives and even his own family from starvation. If God had not allowed Joseph's years of suffering, he never would have been such a powerful agent for social justice and spiritual healing ...
Many people have to admit that most of what they really needed for succes in life came to them through their most difficult and painful experiences".
"As a pastor, I've often preached on the story of Joseph in Genesis. Joseph was an arrogant young man who was hated by his brothers. In their anger at him, they imprisoned him in a pit and then sold him into a life of slavery and misery in Egypt. Doubtless Joseph prayed to God to help him escape, but no help was forthcoming, and into slavery he went. Though he experienced years of bondage and misery, Joseph's character was refined and strengthened by his trials. Eventually he rose up to become a prime minister of Egypt who saved thousands of lives and even his own family from starvation. If God had not allowed Joseph's years of suffering, he never would have been such a powerful agent for social justice and spiritual healing ...
Many people have to admit that most of what they really needed for succes in life came to them through their most difficult and painful experiences".
"Failure" as a Blessing
A Perspective from Napoleon Hill
"No one has complete immunity against failure, and everyone meets with failure many times during a lifetime, but everyone also has the privilege and the means by which he (she) can react to failure in any manner he (she) pleases ...
If one looks upon failure as a sort of nudge from the Hand of Destiny which signals him (her) to move in another direction, and if he (she) acts upon that signal, the experience is practically sure to become a blessing".
- You Can Work Your Own Miracles
Napoleon Hill
If one looks upon failure as a sort of nudge from the Hand of Destiny which signals him (her) to move in another direction, and if he (she) acts upon that signal, the experience is practically sure to become a blessing".
- You Can Work Your Own Miracles
Napoleon Hill
How have you addressed setbacks in your life?
It's been a tough year
The last year (2009) was a tough year for virtually everyone, with everyone suffering a setback to some degree or other, and perhaps more than one.
How have you managed over the last year, or during the difficult moments in life to date?
Leave your comments below.
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chemknitsblog
Nov 13, 2010 @ 5:33 pm | delete
- Thinking about the difference between failure and defeat is really interesting. You can lose a tennis match (and be defeated) but if you played to the best of your ability you're not a failure. I suppose that sums up the mentality that I really TRY to have!
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Dynamic1 Nov 14, 2010 @ 7:17 pm | delete
- I think it is even more important not to let a defeat, or series of defeats, begin to define you as a failure. The classic example is Thomas Edison and his 10,000 attempts to invent the incandescent light bulb, or Colonel Sanders trying to sell his Chicken recipe.
That was the theme underlying my lens.
Thanks for your comments.
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Alison
Mar 9, 2010 @ 10:59 am | delete
- This was a very interesting read Rick. More people should be reading about topics like this.
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- Thank you for the feedback.
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Please feel free to leave your comments on this site (above) and make use of the other resources provided. I would sincerely love to hear from you, your opinions (Pro and Con) on my posts, thoughts, opinions and interpretations. I would love to initiate a dialogue in either or both of the forums.
Your input will only serve to improve this site, as well as the other resources provided.
I look forward to hearing from you.
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Researching the power of the mind and, more specifically, the sub-conscious mind over the past twenty years has allowed me to discover of many gems of wisdom buried in these timeless texts, as well as more recently published texts. The recent release of "The Secret" has had the result of drawing considerable attention to the "LAW OF ATTRACTION", however, I believe the process underlying its application to one's life was missing from the movie.
Contrary to the hype attending release of "The Secret", the LAW OF ATTRACTION is not a recent discovery in metaphysics, nor has it been actively suppressed by the Church or hidden societies. It simply passed into relative obscurity through the passage of time. It has been, and remains, available to everyone who searches for it and is willing to actually apply it to their lives.
The formula is available, and is, in all likelihood, well known to most. In its simplest form, it was concisely summarized as follows:
Ask and it will be given to you;
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The following is a list of other lenses available from the Integrated Success Program. These lenses represent additional information for some of the classic Personal Development texts available through the Integrated Success Program web-site. In addition, these lenses mirror some content on the Integrated Success Program blog.
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Note, however, that there is considerably more material on both the web-site and the blog that has not been posted on Squidoo and, as such, are worth visiting for more information.
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