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Life set backs - I find it astounding how many people allow opportunities to pass them by because they fear that they may fail. Life is certainly full of obstacles and stumbling blocks. Very few people trot through life without encountering a set back or two or twenty for that matter. How you encounter set backs has a tremendous impact on what becomes a set forward later down the road.
Leadership quote from Mary Pickford:
“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
Good perspective - I am guessing that many readers of this blog do not know who Mary Pickford was. I had to do a Wikipedia search to find out myself. In short, she was silent film actress from the early 20th century and a co-founder of United Artists. Leave it to a Hollywood actress to define a good perspective on failure as there are few other careers paths where participants encounter fast rises and steep declines of success.
Learning Opportunity - Every experience is a learning opportunity. Sometimes you learn what works. Other times to learn what does not work. Perseverance is often the only thing that divides people who succeed and those who have failed. Your experiences are valuable examples to share with those you mentor; even, if it may be difficult to discuss at times. Sharing life examples is as natural for a leader as sharing stories is for a grandparent. It portrays you as human, not a failure. And adds the depth of experience to your perspectives if you have overcome the set backs and were not overcome by the set backs.
Learn, grow, be - Of course, in order to have life examples to share and to have a depth of experiences to draw from, you have to overcome the set backs in life. Life will present the obstacles. Just don’t pass on the opportunity because you are afraid to fail. Learn from the opportunity, grow from the experience, and be better set to trudge forward on the path of life. Later, you will have excellent life examples to share.
Remember: Experience more than any other factor contributes to one’s leadership potential.
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