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"I Failed"


RANGER3BN

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I've achieved some great milestones in my life and by some estimations "failed" many more. Now a few months from 40 years of age and the proud father of two hard chargers I enjoy passing along the wise words which have motivated me throughout the years.

"I failed" is ten times more of a man than someone who says "What if", because "What if" has never entered the arena.

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Early on in my time in the Army, I learned a valuable lesson. Just because you think you can't do something doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Just don't try doing something really stupid hoping it'll work out somehow.

Very true. Great quote by Graham Smith as well.

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In my earlier life, I had occasion to meet many people who were facing serious challenges. I used to give a talk that included reference to "the winners". IMO then and now, the winners are those that try, sometimes against the odds. In yet another life I was privileged to know a large number of elderly people. In that group, were many "holocaust survivors". They shared their lives with me on many occasions. I learned things that can't be taught in conventional ways. One of my pieces of advice now, is that if you want to really learn things of importance, talk to people who have suffered. These people filled large gaps in my experience. I'm forever indebted to them.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Theodore Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Edited by kevin c
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  • 11 months later...

Theodore Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

A great quote

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Since this post has just been reopened... I just ran across a lecture given by J Michael Straczynski at MIT. The main subject he chose to speak about was not being afraid to fail.

One of things he pointed to was the Army where testing things to the failure point was common. You have to know how far something can be taken and you also need to know as many ways as possible that something can go wrong.

Much of basic training is pushing the recruits to the point of failure then getting up and pushing them on. One object is to find out just where the failure point is the other is to get past that point. IOW, you don't know if you can do something until you try and try again.

Edited by Graham Smith
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