Failures As Stepping Stones to Success

My spiritual master used to say that it is a material principle that failure is the pillar of success, but it can also be applied to our spiritual lives. One very famous speaker has said, "Success is going from failure to failure to failure, without losing enthusiasm." We really never fail until we give up trying - trying with determination and with enthusiasm. Vision means to see the invisible, to feel the intangible and to achieve the impossible.

Actually, challenges or failures can either be stepping stones or stumbling blocks on the road to success. It is all a matter of how we look at it. You can see a glass as half empty, or you can see the same glass as half full. One will bring you enthusiasm while the other will bring you discouragement. We can apply that principle to every aspect of our life. But it is always important to be sure that we are doing the right thing.

We learn from our mistakes. A mistake is only a mistake if we fail to learn from it. Real leaders make many, many mistakes, but they do not repeat them. They learn from them, they remain enthusiastic, and they remain determined for the goal. Actual champions in every situation are always focused on their goals.

Failures build character. Pressure is something which only comes to one who earns it. We should respect pressures as an honour. We cannot be successful unless we have the courage to fail. And every failure contains the seed of success. When one learns from mistakes, when one learns from failures, one becomes stronger, one develops greater integrity.

Thomas Edison tried 8000 various experiments before he finally invented the electric bulb. Later when he was asked about it, he said that he was not discouraged by all those 8000 failures. "From every failure I at least learnt what does not work." That is success!

When difficulties, obstacles, pressures and even failures come into our lives, we should always be seeing the invisible, feeling the intangible, and in this way we can achieve the impossible. We may not understand the exact cause behind them, but if we have faith, if we have hope, we can always be looking at that 'flower' that will grow from this 'rainstorm.' That is the substance of a successful man. Opportunity knocks but most people complain about the noise. We should see an opportunity in every situation; we never really lose until we stop trying. It is said that in the darkness a star shines the brightest.

A third class man does not even begin to endeavor because he is fearful that he may fail. A second class man endeavors but turns back when faced with obstacles and failures on his path. But the first class man keeps his mind fixed on the goal and does not turn back.

Courage in the Midst of Fear

Root of Courage
One of the four cardinal virtues of the Classical world, courage has diminished in importance in these postmodern times as most people equate this important virtue with acts of bravado in the face of fear. By limiting courage in this way, we fail to perceive the courageous aspects of exploring new ideas for a project, breaking from consensus, transcending rejection or initiating progress in the face of complacency.
The word "courage" comes from the French word "corage," meaning "heart and spirit." So courage is really about acting from your heart and spirit - from the center of your being - the true identity hidden beneath the false self of the ego. By delving into the heart and spirit of our true identities, we begin to recognize our innate courage as well as the ego's insidious control mechanisms, which capitalize on fear and insecurity. As we recognize the fears that the ego uses to justify its self-importance, we undermine the ego's power to dominate our lives and begin to manifest our true identities. We discover the personal truth within our being and recognize courage, as the key to spiritual truth.

Fear Paralyzes the Heart
What percentage of your life is filled with regrets? Regrets represent the times in our lives when we allow fearful insecurities to undermine the courageous choice. Recognizing regrets, the task, then, is to cultivate courage and then trust that going for it is better than dying without it. This is the difference between heart and mind. Learning to stay centered in the present may not banish fear or the blame it spawns, but you will at least begin to diminish the tendencies that keep you stuck in fear. Fear blocks and paralyzes the heart; therefore, fear blocks courage. Slowing down makes the difference.
The process of slowing down puts us in touch with reality - our own everyday issues instead of the sensationalism of the media culture. This astonishing yet simple process releases you from inner tyranny of old fear-based habits and scripts, uncovering a deep set of self-actuating principles. Marianne Williamson writes in The Gift of Change, "We are lifted from weak to strong; we are lifted from lack to abundance; we are lifted from pain to peace; we are lifted from fear to love. None of this happens in an instant, but over time, through the daily process of living."
Many contemplative practices can help initiate this transformative process-sacred reading, chanting, Tai Chi, hiking, a silent retreat and so on. Any choice that moves you beyond words and thoughts and into the inner silence of the heart allows the fears created by the ego to dissipate. "Within each experience of pain or negativity is the opportunity to challenge the perception that lies behind it, the fear that lies behind it, and to choose to learn with wisdom. The fear will not vanish immediately, but it will disintegrate as you work with courage. When fear ceases to scare you, it cannot stay," says Gary Zukav in The Seat of the Soul. The stillness found in contemplation provides a maturity to your inner experience thereby accelerating your spiritual courage.

Courage Cradles Your Actions
Fear is a manmade creation just like slavery, apartheid and poverty. The dualistic concept of fear versus courage keeps us stuck within the mental limitations of ego. When human beings claim their courage, they begin to experience the heart and spirit truth that transcends the duality of the mind. In recognizing transcendent truth, we begin to see that fear is simply an illusion used by the ego to maintain its position of control, and this recognition dissolves fear, allowing love to fill our hearts. This is the experience of "dying to self."
As courage consciousness matures in your life and in your organization, you will notice huge shifts in your perspective about fear. You will find courage cradles your actions, allowing you to validate the choice of courage consciousness over attachments that trigger life's unwanted fears.