Food for Thought Exercises

My thoughts on Lesson No. 1: Is there such a thing as failure?

Thanks Snoopyboy for your ‘take’ on failure.  Here is mine:

First let’s define ‘Failure.’  According to the dictionary, failure is:

1. A noun which represents an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful, that is, a lack of success.

Therefore, if the term is used to describe an event which was unsuccessful, then it could be deemed ‘a failure.’  However, I think people can take the term and personify it, transferring the unsuccessful event to themselves.  Now instead of the event being a failure, the person sees themself as a ‘Failure.’

A perfect example of making this distinction is the attitude that Thomas Edison had in inventing the light bulb.  He ‘failed’ at least 1,000 times in experimenting with different materials that would last long enough to be able to be used as lighting. 

His attitude was not that he ‘failed’ 1,000 times, but rather, he discovered which materials didn’t work 1,000 times, and succeeded afterwards.

In a practical application of this type of attitude would be the student who ‘fails’ a test.  It doesn’t mean that the student is a ‘failure’ but that the study level wasn’t sufficient to acquire the required level of knowledge.  This separates the student from the test failure.  Once sufficient knowledge is attained, the failure of the event is eliminated.

The solution for success is to examine the cause of the failure and take the necessary steps to ensure success.  Depression is the enemy of success.  During the time of depression, time could have been spent working towards the solution.  Instead, time is wasted and failure is sustained.

The human brain is a powerful organ and will produce thoughts to accomplish the goal the person sets.  If no goal is set, the brain is idling with nothing to do!  Therefore, keep moving forward until success is achieved! 

I agree with Butta

If it were up to me, failure would have been just another synonym for challenge and delay and the antonym for Hope or “try again” ;). Nothing drives me to be more persistent than seeing myself falling back on my rosy goals that I’d intelligently planned. If it weren’t for the unexpected things, to me failure would have never existed, because I have trouble giving up on my own and on myself

 thanks Mr Alston for this food for tought, the after taste is amazing mmm ;)

Wow, Anja, very good thoughts on the subject of “failure.”

I would like others to express their thoughts, then I intend to weigh in.

Failure is a word I don’t like. But whether I like it or not, in life there is no way around it. (Un)fortunately, on this life’s journey, failure is a lifelong companion to teach us: ” Hey..you are on your way, don’t give up! You just need to try things differently!

Some people call “Failure” the “Mother of success” or “a stepping stone towards success”. Even the great Michael Jordan says he owned his success to his constant failure while on his way up.

Rather then saying I failed, i describe it as a temporary detour or a delay on the road to achievements. So to conclude: Failure seems to be a treasure for those who believe in themselves, with an ability to make us stronger and wiser :)

Thanks a lot for the new challenge dear Alston. I love it already :))

Topic No. 1:  Is there such a thing as failure?

Lesson Title Correction:

It should read as follows:

This lesson is written to engage your mind and provide an opportunity to express your thoughts in English.  Please offer your comments about the topic and I will offer mine.