Fail Forward

Thomas Edison, who was considered as a kid to be stupid, once said, "I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” Edison knew that there is no success without failure. Failure is simply learning what will and won’t work. Imagine if Edison quit after the 1st attempt, the 3rd attempt, the 999th attempt? Albert Einstein couldn’t speak until he was 4 years old and was also considered to be of below average intelligence. Henry Ford failed and went broke five different times before he became successful. Walt Disney was fired once for his alleged lack of imagination. Imagine the world if these people allowed failure to define them, not refine them?

Thru failure comes learning, thru learning comes improvement, thru improvement comes excellence, thru excellence comes legacy

God’s Perspective

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” ~Romans 5:3-5. The apostle Paul, who wrote the book of Romans, knew failure and suffering more than most. Paul spent much of his life locked in prisons for spreading the news about Jesus Christ. Paul knew that failure and suffering aren’t the end, they’re a means to improve. He realized that we should rejoice in our failures and suffering because they shape and refine us.

Fear of Failure

Think of a time when you didn’t try something because you were afraid to fail. It happens to all of us. Prior to becoming a triathlete, I was asked to join a team of triathletes and train with them for a full distance Ironman. I didn’t want to. I was afraid that if I joined, I would fail. If I failed, it would mean that I’m not good enough, I’m a failure, and that I don’t have what it takes. Haven’t we all felt that way? Maybe your fear of failure is tied to a potential new job, relationship, class or skill, activity, new social circle. Realize your fear, and then give it a shot anyway. Nobody is perfect - we’ve all failed!

You’ve Already Won

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” ~John 16:33. Nearly 2000 years ago, Jesus said these words, knowing that we’d all face adversity, we’d encounter trouble, and we’d fail. However, His message gives us hope because He says, “I have overcome the world.” Jesus faced the enemy, He faced defeat, and He won. Because Jesus lives in us, we inherit this victory from Him.

Failure Refines You

My favorite analogy is that failure is more like a bruise than a tattoo. Failure isn’t permanent. Failure doesn’t define you. If used properly, failure will refine you. That’s the concept of failing forward - learning the lessons from the experience, applying those learnings, and trying again. Yet too many people are afraid that failure will forever define them, so they take the easy way out. Thomas Edison’s story best exemplifies this concept. He failed 1,000 times, but instead of using that failure to define himself as a failure, he used it to refine himself as one of the greatest innovators of all time. Failure doesn’t define you, it refines you.

Failure is your way of telling the world that you haven’t yet figured this out. It’s your way of telling the world you are getting closer to the solution because you found another approach that won’t work. It’s a stepping-stone on the way to victory. Failure is a tool. It’s an opportunity to learn. It’s an opportunity to reassess your approach. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate patience, resilience, character, and fortitude. It’s an opportunity to set aside your ego, humble yourself, and accept that neither you nor I are perfect. We’re human. We’re broken. We make mistakes. We’re imperfect. And that’s okay. While we were in fact wonderfully made in the image of God, we were also made experience trouble, suffering, and failure. The failure, however, was never meant to define us— it was meant to refine us on the way to success.

Make Failure Actionable

Start by doing an honest introspection of how you currently handle failure. Do you get angry, blame others, get defensive, make excuses? That’s okay if you said yes - most people do. Starting this second, you have the power to change that response going forward. Make a commitment to yourself to demonstrate resilience when, not if, you fail. Accept failure as a part of life. Allow yourself and others to fail. Consider failure to be a learning opportunity. Make it a point to ask yourself a few key questions: what went wrong, why did it go wrong, what could you have done differently, how can you apply these learnings in the future?

Put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ with the knowledge that He predicted our trouble, He faced trouble, He won, and He has given us victory in His name. Maybe even take it to an extreme, and when you fail, rejoice. Rejoice knowing that through your suffering you will produce endurance, character, and ultimately hope. God has a perfect plan for your life. Surrender your plan to His, and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime.

Welcome to the new you. Enjoy the journey...

Check out It's All About You: The Second Greatest Story Ever Told on Amazon at https://bit.ly/3wJTXck

Learn more about Dave VanEpps or request a speaking engagement at www.davevanepps.com

Speak Victory

 The subconscious mind is responsible for roughly 95% of the programming that takes place in our brain. “Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality” ~Earl Nightingale.  

The words we allow into our brain are critical in terms of both our own self-programming and how those closest to us program themselves.  Speaking words of truth and life can positively impact how others see themselves. Small words of truth and positivity can stay with someone a long time.  Conversely, speaking words of negativity can adversely impact others in ways we can’t imagine.  Rachel Wolchin once said, “Be mindful when it comes to your words. A string of some that don’t mean much to you, may stick with someone else for a lifetime.”

 

God’s Perspective

God has a lot to say about the power of words – the power to do good, the power to do evil.  I remember times in my life when people spoke positive words into me, and they motivated, inspired, and led me to take action.  Unfortunately, I remember times when people spoke negative words that deflated, discouraged, and led me to give up.  “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21) 

Matthew chapter 12 shares some words directly from Jesus. In verse 34, Jesus says, “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”  Jesus said this to show us that words don’t just come out of our mouths, they are a reflection of the condition of our heart.  If our heart is in a bad place, our words will follow.  If our heart is aligned with the heart of Jesus, our words will also follow.

Verses 36-37 then say, “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”  That’s not a conversation I look forward to.  I think we’ve all unloaded our share of “empty” words. 

In Ephesians 4:29, the author, Paul, says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Paul realized both the power of words and the value of community.  Can you imagine what the world would look like if everyone spoke words that would consistently build others up according to their needs?

God’s Words About You

It’s important to recognize the voice of God versus the voice of the enemy.  The voice of God will always speak truths that are consistent with His word.  The enemy, however, will speak lies that are in direct conflict with God’s word.  Our conscious brain needs to recognize the difference and filter out the negative messages so that they don’t become part of our subconscious mind. Here are a few truths about what God says about you:

• Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” Yes, you were made in the image of God!

• Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” You were wonderfully made by the Creator of the universe.

• Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Can you picture God taking such great delight in you that He rejoices with singing?

• John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God loves you so much that He gave His Son to die a horrible death so that you may be saved.

• Matthew 5:14 says, “You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Jesus said this, and He values you so much that He wants your light to shine throughout the world.

• Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God has great plans for you – all you need to do is surrender to Him.

God’s words are words of life, truth, and victory. Those words are God speaking directly about you and to you.  This is what your subconscious mind should have permanently engraved in it as the truth about who you are.

Choices

You have choices when it comes to words:

• You can choose which words you accept as truth.  Choose the word of God.

• You can choose which words you reject as lies.  Reject the words of the world and the enemy.

• You can carefully choose which words you speak unto others.  Speak truth, speak hope, speak life, and speak victory.

The choice is yours!  “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” ~ Stephen Covey.  By making good decisions today, you can reap a habit of positive words, which will ultimately shape who you become.

Welcome to the new you.  Enjoy the journey... 

Check out It's All About You: The Second Greatest Story Ever Told on Amazon at  https://bit.ly/3wJTXck

Learn more about Dave VanEpps or request a speaking engagement at www.davevanepps.com