Posts Tagged ‘every failure is a learning experience’

On my 15 birthday, I received my first dirt bike. Well, technically it wasn’t my first. The first one died shortly after it was given to me. This one however, was in much better shape. It was a used dirt bike, but I absolutely loved it and road it every chance I got. After having the bike slide out from under me a few times I decided the tires needed to be changed.

I spent the entire summer saving money to buy two new tires and a few other parts for a tune up. After what seemed like an eternity, I purchased my parts, gathered my tools, and spent an entire day installing my tires. I started around noon and finally finished just as it was getting dark. The installation did not go smooth. I was completely exhausted and had a number of bruises and cuts for my efforts, but I had my new tires on and was ready to go. All I had to do now was fill them with air. I did so with complete excitement and anticipation.

My excitement was soon replaced with utter disappointment as I watched the air drain out just as quickly as I had put it in. I had popped both tubes during the installation. A summer full of work, an exhausting day changing tires and all I had to show for it was a motorcycle that I could no longer ride. My disappointment grew even larger when I found out I had also damaged one of the new tires during installation and it would need to be replaced.

After my complete failure, my father purchased another tire and had the bike shop install two new tubes and the new tire. The bike shop couldn’t believe that I had actually attempted to install motorcycle tires using a few screw drivers. And were even more surprised I was actually able to get it on the wheel.

This may seem like a very unimportant event, but it actually taught me a few lessons and gave me quite a bit of confidence.

Choose the right tools and methods for the job

The reason that I failed miserably at this project was because I didn’t understand what was really required. I had changed my fair share of bicycle tires as a kid, but never anything bigger. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble and my dad a lot of money had I gotten more information. To be fair, my father was the one who told me he had done it a “hundred times” and it would be no big deal. Apparently tires had changed since he was a kid

Never Give Up

Even though I had ultimately failed to successfully install the tires. I completed something that seemed impossible. There were several times throughout that day, I felt that I would not be able to put the tires on. However, I refused to give up. And even though I was disappointed that day, I have gained a huge amount of confidence because of it.

Know when to quit

I know what you are thinking, I just said “never give up”. And this still holds true. Once you have goal set in your mind you should keep going until you obtain it. However, if one method isn’t working, then you should also learn to give up and try something else. There is a difference between perseverance and stupidity.

Every failure is a learning experience

While I was very disappointed that day, that experience has stuck with me and helped me get through a number of difficult situations. I learned far more that day than I could have had I been successful. Had I succeeded, I would have been able to put on a motorcycle tire. Because I failed, I can use that small failure to create larger successes. Sometimes the fastest way to success is through failure.

Related links

• breeding success through failure – success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm – winston churchill. trying is the first step towards failure – homer simpson. wanting to be good at innovation, more companies are starting to realise that …
• Kasparov, Eisner talk about achieving success through failure … – Top executives at the World Business Forum say that failure is a given, but it’s also necessary for eventual success. Read this blog post by Marguerite Reardon on News Blog.