Why Stop Now?
Fail. Fail. Fail. Win. Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. Win. Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. Win.
12 failures. 3 wins. This does not scream “successful” by any measure. But these failures led to a celebrated President. How did he endure so many failures?
In the insightful A Lifetime of Observations , Wooden mentioned how one of his heroes constantly failed. He explained that Lincoln, Wooden’s hero, persisted despite constantly failing in his professional and personal life.
From failures of the heart to losing political positions, Lincoln carried on. This persistence eventually led to the reunification of the United States- which made Lincoln one of the most celebrated Presidents. When one of the greatest coaches ever tells you to focus on the now and shrug off failure- maybe we should listen!
So how did Lincoln persist despite failing 80% of the time? Since my Ouija board is in the mail- I cannot ask Lincoln himself. But I can guess!
Lincoln persisted because he loved his work & knew he could make a difference.
If you love what you are doing and can make a difference- why stop? Or as John Wooden would put it:
Success is never final, failure is never fatal, and it's courage that counts.