Pillow Talk

When is the last time you tried to fail? When is the last time you really stepped up to the plate, and gave it every last ounce of gumption you had, knowing that you had not much chance of success, if any, like you jumped off the tower, trying to land on a pillow? It really doesn’t sound very exciting at the first look, or maybe even the second or the third.

In the sales world, it is said that every “No” is one “No” closer to a “Yes.” It’s one failure closer to victory, one let down closer to the celebration, or one fallen wish closer to a dream come true. Thomas Edison is said to have found 200 ways to not make a light bulb. He only found one way to make a light bulb, and this changed everything. He damn sure had no such problem with failing.

Now, there is something to be said for the phrase, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” But, changing your approach, and trying new options eludes this statement. Maybe you haven’t thought about this from the right point of view yet, maybe you haven’t had the experience that opened the door to the solution in your mind yet. Experience is a great teacher, even when it’s experiencing failure. This seems to be what teaches me the best.

Trying again, and again, and again, I believe, is truly seeking the good in this life. A friend shared a story with me today about an effort to help another that clearly had been stomped on in a colossally disrespectful way. It really took a belief in a greater cause, than just this one circumstance, to follow through here. Call this one of the failures, but I only believe that this was a success, or at least the start of one.

The point is we are gonna spend a lot of time working at something before being a master at it. It is said that after 10,000 hours of immersing yourself in something you reach a level of mastery. In 10,000 hours there are a lot of foul balls, and a few home runs. Stay positive, stay busy, push faster and faster into the wind. And ,maybe on day, we can all look back and be happy with our story. I mean if not, then what are we doing anyway?

Jump for the pillow. Reach a little farther. Don’t put as much weight on the result. Be calm in the chase.

 

Danny Lesslie

@dannylesslie