“When I fall, I’m going to get back up. I’m not going to judge myself for falling, I’m just going to get up and keep on getting up. And then, I discover that every time I get up, I’m taking a stair-step to another level.” – Dr. Michael Beckwith
The word fail gets such a bad rap. Winners lose, and successful folks fail. Most successful people love to share the stories of the failures they had that were stepping stones to their success. Here are a few of my favorites from Joey Green’s little book, “Famous Failures.”
- Jennifer Lopez was rejected twice for the role of “Fly Girl” on the TV variety show In Living Color.
- Alex Haley submitted his short stories to magazines or 8 years and received nothing but rejection letters. And William Faulkner made a D in English in college!
- Sharon Stone entered a local beauty pageant in her hometown of Meadville, PA, and lost, and could not get a date to her senior prom.
- Mozart was fired as concert master of the Salzburg Austria orchestra.
- Abraham Lincoln suffered scores of failures and losses in politics and business before being elected President in 1860.
- William Randolph Hearst was expelled from Harvard University. Their Business School also rejected Warren Buffett!
- Sidney Poitier was told by the director of the American Negro Theatre that he couldn’t act.
- Charles Darwin failed a medical course at the University of Edinburgh.
- Oprah Winfrey was demoted from her on-air news anchor job at WJZ-TV in Baltimore because she “…wasn’t fit for television.”
- Fred Astaire’s first screen test report read: “Can’t act. Slightly bald. Can dance a little.”
- Rod Serling’s first 40 scripts were all rejected.
- Muhammad Ali graduated 376th out of 391 students in high school.
- Eddie Murphy had to repeat 10th grade.
- Arsenio Hall fled in fear 8 different times after the emcee introduced him for his stand-up comedy debut.
- Albert Einstein failed the entrance exams to the Swiss Polytechnic Institute.
- Fred Smith, the founder of a little company called FedX, made a C on his Yale business school proposal for this corporation.
- And even The Beatles were rejected by Decca Records in 1962.
Many people give up after initial rejection. The word “reject” comes from Old English, meaning to throw back. Not throw away. Throw back. Which means you can come back, take positive feedback, and have a chance to improve, revamp, rewrite, polish, or simply reject the rejection and submit to someone who gets you…who is on your wavelength.
I’m many times asked when to just give up if something is continually not working. When this is the case, then perhaps one’s motivation is not pure: it is not a mission or authentic. Some goals are set to please others, and seek approval, which is ego-based and can become a bottomless pit of need. When living in purpose, success generally comes relatively naturally, where one is super ego-based and driven by ideals and values.
We humans are only born with two fears for evolutionary purposes: the fear of loud noises and the fear of falling (in the literal sense). That being said, ALL the other fears are learned. We have to train toddlers to fear running into the streets, touching hot stoves, etc. And what is learned can be un-learned (the fear of failure, public speaking, asking someone out on a date, taking an exam, etc.). Accepting fear without letting it stop us can actually allow change to be creative and fun. Change is inevitable: you can either effect it or accept it. Many people make the mistake of waiting until they feel confident before they take action. Probably not gonna happen. For most of us, the feelings of confidence only appear after we take action steps toward our goals. Steps of confidence, in spite of fear, become feelings of confidence. Allow the love within you to motivate you, and you will disallow fear from stopping you.
The great former NFL quarterback, Fran Tarkenton, says: “Winning means being unafraid to lose.” No one loves to lose, but in a sense it is really win-win: you either win and woo-hoo, or you lose and learn.
“I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” ― Michael Jordan
See more about Fear and Phobia Hypnosis and Confidence Hypnosis.
Don’t hesitate to contact me for more information about how hypnosis can help you. I offer a free 30-minute phone consultation to answer your questions and see if I’m the best hypnotist for you.