Second only to “That’s one small step for man…”, the most famous phrase to come out of the NASA space era is “Failure is not an option”. The phrase, which curiously was spoken only in movies and books (never in real life), encapsulated the Can Do attitude that permeated the moonshot program of the 1960’s and early 70’s.
It may serve as a great rallying cry, but the concept of never falling short of the mark is not only unrealistic but, in itself, it misses the point. Failure is not only a given, but it is impossible to have success without it. Even that space race was littered with failures. NASA experienced dozens of rocket explosions in the 1950’s and early 60s. Those failures led to the knowledge of rocketry that allowed the moon program to succeed.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban has proudly admitted to failures as well. Cuban is one of the investors on TV’s Shark Tank, a show where the uber-rich invest money in start-up businesses, in the hopes that they are buying into the next great thing. Most of the time, it doesn’t work out.
“I’ve gotten beat,” the billionaire admitted recently. At the time of that interview, he had invested more than $20-million in 85 Shark Tank companies. For all of that investing, he has a net negative return.
That doesn’t stop him from continuing to invest in start-up companies. The stats show that more than 90 percent of new businesses fail. Although the success rate is small, and even the payoffs from successful new ventures are often miniscule, there are the occasional breakthroughs that dreams are made of.
The dream is exactly the point. Without goals, without dreams, nothing we have in this world would have been accomplished. Everything begins with a dream, a vision for a better way. Most of these dreams fail, at first. But those failures, if we learn from them, can show us the way to a successful path.
I am personally engaged in such a dream. A Hollywood production company is currently working to raise the money necessary to turn one of my books into a movie. The pitfalls between where we are, and seeing my story on a silver screen, are immense, diverse, and numerous. Less than one percent of Hollywood book deals actually become movies. And that’s on top of the vast majority of books that are never even considered. Of that one percent that are made, most don’t make money. Failure is not only an option. It is expected.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop trying. In fact, if this first attempt fails, it will only encourage me to try again. That I have gotten this far in the process is it’s own success. If I pay attention and learn from the likely failures this time around, I can hone the presentation, revise the screenplay, make use of the contacts I have developed on this try, and give it another go. There will be a success. The only question is, “How many failures will it take for me to get this right?”
Mark Cuban’s track record on Shark Tank is a net loss. That doesn’t stop him from dreaming. Doesn’t deter him from trying. Although the man will never want for anything, he still dreams of hitting that next big deal. The failures are simply stepping stones on the path to success.
So, take that shot. Reach for the brass ring. Go for the gold. Aim for the bullseye. Hold on to any cliché that suggests success in the face of adversity. Believe that you have it within you to achieve your dream. You can do it.
Oh, and save up a few bucks for a ticket when my movie hits the theaters.
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