You Fear the Wrong Failures

We mostly fear the wrong dangers. And we also fear the wrong failures.

• Let it never be said that I told you it was okay to fail to make your number. But if you sell long enough, it’s bound to happen to even the best salesperson. It’s okay to fail to make your number.
• You might fail to negotiate the deal that you wanted and that your company needed. You might fail to capture your fair share of the value that you created. It’s okay to fail in a negotiation.
• If what you sell is complex, risky, and difficult to execute, you may fail your client. You may fail to provide them the value that you sold them and they paid for. It’s okay to fail a client.
• It’s especially okay to fail as an entrepreneur, even if you are dumb enough to believe that your burn rate is the one metric you should be watching (instead of paying clients). Failure is part of the entrepreneur’s journey.
• It’s okay to fail to pay your bills on time. It’s okay to fail to make it to your daily workout. And it’s okay to fail to follow your diet.

It’s not a good idea to fail at one of these things all the time. But in the big scheme of things, these aren’t the failures you are going to regret in the future.

The real failures you should fear are bigger than all of these, even if they don’t frighten you enough now.

• You don’t want to fail the people who count on you, the people you love. Your don’t want to fail in your role as a father, mother, daughter, son, brother, or sister. You don’t want to fail the people who depend on you.
• You don’t want to fail that part of yourself that is your purpose. You don’t want to fail to live a life of meaning and contribution. You don’t want to fail to make a difference, whatever that difference may be. You are here for a reason.
• You don’t want to fail to create whatever it is you are here to create, be it a business, a charity, or your art. You don’t want tho fail to live your life as your true authentic self.
• You don’t want to fail to live fully and love deeply. Your were born with a certain set of gifts. You don’t want to fail to use those gifts.

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day challenges and struggles and worry about failing. But you need to succeed in the areas that really matter. If you are going to fear failure, then focus on fearing the failures that you will later regret.

What failure do you fear now?

Even though it may be painful, is this failure something that you are going to regret at some time later in your life?

What failure should you fear now? What do you need to change to avoid that failure?