All Failure is Not Created Equal

We have a tendency to have a generalized response to the concept of failure. We fear and avoid failure without carefully qualifying it. I see failure as being broken down into two broad categories: terminal and transient.

Terminal failure are the circumstances from which you can’t recover. Think: “An unlucky day skydiving” or “a bad client when you are a lion tamer.” Even when considering “worst case scenario,” very few outcomes result in terminal failure. Even if you lose an account, lose your job or lose the company, as difficult as those outcomes might be, there is still a chance for recovery. Terminal failure is very rare indeed.

Most failure is transient. It’s painful, but not permanent. You may swing and miss, but you get two more strikes. You may strike out, but you’ll probably be up to bat in a couple more innings. You may lose the game, but there will be another one soon – you can still go to the World Series with a lot of L’s on your record. Most of the failures we experience just lead us into another opportunity to succeed. Nearly all the failure we face falls under this category.

When facing uncertainty, remember not all failure is created equal.

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