What’s the Big Deal About Failure?
By Rick Warren
“No matter how often honest people fall, they always get up again.” Proverbs 24:16 (GNT)
Never forget this truth: Failure probably won’t kill you.
We vastly exaggerate the effects of failure. We blow the prospects of failing all out of proportion. Failing is not the end of the world. The fear of failure is far more damaging than failure itself.
Proverbs 24:16 says, “No matter how often honest people fall, they always get up again” (GNT). Even “good” people stumble. They make mistakes, mess up, and fail.
Successful people are not people who never fail. They’re people who get up and keep going. Successful people just don’t know how to quit!
Have you ever heard of these famous failures?
- George Washington lost two-thirds of all the battles he fought. But he won the Revolutionary War and later became the first U.S. president.
- Napoleon graduated 42nd in a class of 43. Then he went out and conquered Europe.
- In 21 years, Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs, but he struck out 1,330 times. He struck out nearly twice as often as he hit a home run.
- The famous novelist John Creasey received 753 rejection letters before he published 564 books.
- Rowland Hussey Macy failed seven times at retailing before starting Macy’s department store.
Great people are simply ordinary people who have an extraordinary amount of determination. They just keep on going. They realize they’re never a failure until they quit.
That’s how you reduce your fear of failure. You redefine it.
You don’t fail by not reaching a specific goal. Instead, failure is not having a goal. Failure is refusing to get back up again once you fall. It’s refusing to try.
On the first day of kindergarten, I got in the wrong line and then into the wrong classroom. Can you imagine me going home to my mom and dad and saying, “I’m a failure at education! This school thing just doesn’t work”? Of course not. Even as a young child, I learned from my mistake and did better the next day.
When you fail, keep going. If at first you don’t succeed, it’s no big deal. You’re never a failure when you don’t give up.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Discover God’s Answers to Life’s Tough Questions!
What’s the best way to cope with stress? Rebound from failure? Defeat depression? Or have peace of mind?
Pastor Rick shares the answers to these tough questions and much more in his book God’s Answers to Life’s Difficult Questions.
In it, Pastor Rick takes you to God’s Word for answers to twelve of life’s toughest questions, drawing from the examples of people in the Bible who faced the same challenges we face today.
God’s Answers to Life’s Difficult Questions is our thanks for your gift to help reach more people through Daily Hope—so request your copy of this transformative resource when you give below.
Thank you for your support!
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
