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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 23 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.
Today we look at 25 Ways to Turn Failure into Success (Steps 6-10).
We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and we have another busy week lined up.  In addition to our regular client work, I have been invited to be a guest on two other podcasts this week, we have an onsite visit with one client, and then we are headed back to The Big House in Marietta, Ohio, this coming weekend.  We are never wanting for something to do as we endeavor to enjoy life’s journey each day.   Thank you so much for coming along with us on this trek of life as we consider you our friend.  It is our desire to also be your guide and mentor as we navigate the rugged trails that each of us encounter daily.

As we continue on, we want to use five more stepping stones as we traverse the trails before us.  Our lives will be filled with obstacles, difficulties, and, at times, failures.  Here are five more ways we can navigate over, under, around and through the obstacles of life.



The more you fail, the more you learn more. While we should not purposely fail, we need to thrive on the wisdom and experience that we gain from failing.  We need to soak it in and embrace it. Our objective each day should be to make a positive difference in the lives of others through taking action.  When we take smart action we should never fear failure. We need to persevere in spite of failures. Every failure is a learning opportunity on how not to do something or how to do it better. If we are going to be an achiever then to some extent failure is the way of life. Every failure makes us much more determined to succeed. “Failure and defeat are life’s greatest teachers but sadly, most people, don’t want to go there!” Ralph Heath.

Stepping Stone #6 – Learn from your failures.




Failure can be positive or negative.  Failure is a learning tool. Thomas Edison failed a thousand times before he invented the lightbulb. Failure is trying to do things others have not considered. It is a temporary by product of creativity. It is challenging the learning process. A reporter once asked Thomas Edison “"How did it feel to fail 1,000 times? ' 'I didn’t fail 1,000 times,' Edison responded. 'The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.'”

Stepping Stone #7 – Failures are steps to success.




Failure is experiential education at work. To be a real winner in life you need to endure failure and the agony it produces. Success is achieved when you are willing to take risks and lose. Most people choose to engage in occupations and activities that are safe and predictable. If you enjoy that, do the very best you can and enjoy each day.  For many people, those occupations don’t deliver satisfaction, fulfillment or joy in living. If you find yourself in that position, then for you failure is not to move in the directions of your dreams.  If you desire something more, then take action, "Decide whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying and pursue your dreams, or you will only fail by taking no action.”

Stepping Stone #8 – Failure provides experiential education.




Failure can be a weapon. We can learn discipline through failures.  It allows us to sharpen ourselves against the grindstone of failure. We do not need to make excuses for failure. We need allow it to be the weapon of determination to succeed. Although you might fail incredibly, you might succeed incredibly, and that’s why incredible risk and courage are required. Fail or succeed either way, you’ll learn more than ever about your strengths, talents, and resolve, and you’ll strengthen your will for the next challenge. "Sharpen your success weapons on the grindstone of failure."

Stepping Stone #9 – Use failure as your weapon to succeed.