John Maxwell shares some thoughts on failing in his book, Failing Forward.
| Failing Backward | Failing Forward |
| Blaming others | Taking Responsibility |
| Repeating the Same Mistakes | Learning from Each Mistake |
| Expecting Never to fail again | Knowing Failure is part of the process |
| Expecting to Continually Fail | Maintaining a Positive Attitude |
| Being Limited by Past Mistakes | Taking New Risks |
| Thinking I am a Failure | Believing Something didn’t work |
| Quitting | Persevering |
Messages that give us feedback about life.
Interruptions that should cause us to reflect and think
Signposts that direct us to the right path
Tests that push us toward greater maturity
Awakenings that keep us in the game mentally.
Keys that we can use to unlock the next door of opportunity.
Explorations that let us journey where we’ve never been before.
Statements about our development and progress
“Autobiography in Five Short Chapters.” by Portia Nelson.
Chapter 1
I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost. I am helpless. It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter 2
I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don’t see it. I fall in again. I can’t believe I am in the same place, but it isn’t my fault. it still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter 3
I walk down the same street. Thee is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in. It’s a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.
Chapter 4
I walk down the same. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.
Chapter 5
I walk down another street.
