Lets talk about failure. This video might jump-start the conversation.

So, what great failures did you experience in your life that informed future success or that turned out to be not so failure-ish after all?

I almost failed Intro to Calculus and Analytical Geometry 101, an 8:00 A.M. class held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in my first semester of college. Ultimately I earned a D grade thanks to some exposure to analytical geometry in high school and to a very generous instructor. This failure led to my abandonment of a plan to major in mathematics and also contributed to the 2.0 GPA I had at the end of three semesters. Out of money and patience, I quit, which resulted in my eligibility for the draft and subsequent entry into the Air Force. There I found a new lifelong career in Data Processing/Information Systems/Information Technology/Data Science and a bride whom I share a life to this day. The GI Bill helped fund a return to college where I earned a degree in Accounting and Sandy earned one in Management. Of course I stayed in IT and Sandy ended up in Banking. But any degree opens a lot of employment doors.

 

It's hard for me to come up with failures I've made. I guess I just consider them learning experiences rather than failures. I can think of a few men I was involved with that would qualify as bad choices. Crashing my ElliptiGO and breaking my arm was a failure, though, for sure. I go slower at the bottom of my driveway, now.

 

I enjoyed that video. I can think of lots and lots of failures (the last oil painting I tried I tossed in the garbage). But coming up with a few that turned into a later success may take some thought.

 

I failed my private pilot check-ride. Took one more lesson and learned what I did wrong, then passed the next time with flying colors.

Went on to Army flight school and never had any problems/issues since, including successfully completing a tour in Vietnam.

 

I failed 10th grade english! It has leded me to grate highest in my family as I done be the first to make it to dat dare grade.

 

Blowing the engine on my 00 S2000. $$$ for a new one. That was Charlie comforting me. I had to miss Fall Colors.

 

Great video Mike. One big failure in my life or actually quite a few was when I first started investing in the stock market I made a few mistakes but after losing money I learned what not to do going forward.

 

Thanks for the reminder. I blocked out all the noise on the financial airways in 2007/2008; in fact, I was buying when others were selling (isn't that what they say to do) but I could not block out the noise at home and finally gave into the wife's fears about the thousands we were losing daily. I moved lots the very day it hit the ultimate low! Then she got to hear my noise since I was forced to sit on the sidelines and watch my ex-stuff go up. We both learned something. Timing matters.

 

I got kicked out of college prep english - I hated it and hated the teacher. They put me in an english class where they were still using flash cards to learn how to spell simple words. Thankfully I passed that; since I had already failed Latin. My other classes with Ds were keeping me afloat.

 

I failed sophomore geometry The only class I ever failed. At least I think I failed, or maybe I got a D. I know I failed the final. I guess I didn't see the angles, as I was lost in the class from the beginning.

I read an article recently that a divorce isn't necessarily a failed marriage, as the marriage worked for a while. OK, so I can cross that first marriage/divorce off the failure list...

I failed at making a better choice when offered a job many years ago, and that choice would have ultimately (maybe) allowed me to retire sooner with a pension and portable health insurance.

That's OK...I'm retired now and only a few more months of COBRA.

Life's lessons..often that's all bad choices or failures are..............just keep on going forward.