Not long ago I was with a trusted business partner and friend for dinner. During the course of the evening we were sharing thoughts on business strategy, effort, and dedication. I shared with him the idea I call the Three D’s–Desire, Dedication, and Discipline. He shared with me his favorite quote “Success is never final. Failure is never fatal”.
I immediately fell in love with that quote. As I began to think about using it in my writing I thought I had better find out the original source for that quote. As it turns out it is most commonly attributed to either Winston Churchill or John Wooden. Further reading bore out the fact that many have used it in some form or another adding to it other parts and pieces.
It is easy to bask in the glow of Success, and far too easy to forget that Success is never final. Often basking in our current success leads to becoming complacent, which can cause us to get lazy when it comes to our daily efforts to constantly improve. In fact, that complacent attitude can lead to failure. It is important to always remember that our current, or past successes, are only temporary unless we build constantly on those successes.
In as much as it is important to remember that Success is never final, it is equally important to remember that Failure is Never Fatal. Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs, but he struck out 1330 times. The lesson here is that failing is never the end result if we are willing to learn from our failures and put the effort in to achieve success. It is just as easy to lose ourselves in our failure as it is to lose ourselves in our success. The next time you fail, take the time to evaluate what went wrong, get up, brush yourself off, learn the lesson from the immediate failure and turn your thoughts and attitude to success.
Stephen Jay Laird says
Hello Bill-
I Love your Story about” Success is never Final-Failure is never Fatal”
In Sales this Motto is Constant! Your sales are constantly Fluctuating up and Down! A salesman has to go out and cultivate the customer base. Then you have to prepare your product pitch, then present it to the client, and ask for the order! ( You don’t always Succeed in this Area,but you can’t give up— You have to keep trying and presenting and refining your skills and knowledge to over come the no’s of sales)
Success is Daily discipline and dedication to your job. It is like working out 🏋️♂️. It takes willpower and determination and discipline. Just like a weight lifter lifts weights— the salesman studies his product and is well prepared to perform his pitch to his clients! You can’t quit because someone one says NO! or shuts the door on your face and says I’m not interested!
In order to be a Successful salesman you have to know Your products—Never give up!! Always looking for New Clients! Taking care of existing Clients!
Remember Success is Never Final!
Failure is never Fatal!
Keep Trying- Never give Up!!
Smile while You work! Be Proud and Happy in every moment of life! Be Thankful for what you Have!
Always represent the Best! Be the Best and you will be rewarded for your hard work!