“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford
Most regrets in life come from the failure of not failing either at all, or too late. You see, failing too late doesn’t help at all. This is because of waiting for your ducks to all get in a row, which more often than not doesn’t happen.
Success has never been a great teacher; failure is and has always been. So, the faster you fail, the quicker you learn to correct your approach, mistakes and errors in judgement. Obviously, I don’t mean you must just blindly fail, do your homework, but be very mindful of the window of opportunity. We wait and wait for the right time and the right people to come along until time runs out. When we realise we waited too long, hoping for the best, we panic, make mistakes and never recover.
You are like a ship in a harbour, it’s safe there but that’s not what ships are built for. You are meant to be out there on the sea and be the best of whatever you are. The truth never ceases to exist because it is ignored, it remains the truth until it is recognised.
Theodore Roosevelt said it so well: “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure … than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” These powerful words always fuel my fire.
Failing fast helps you correct what needs to be corrected while you still have time to do so. Failing fast helps you recalibrate your compass and rectify your errors in judgement. Fail fast, that’s what life is all about.