The Feeling of Failure

Whenever you're starting something new or find yourself in a new situation, you get that feeling deep down in your gut, "What am I doing?". Honda published this video "Failure: The Secret to Success" [1], that has a number of very inspiring ideas.

One particular comment stood out for me, Danica Patrick [2](an American auto racing driver) was talking about pushing the envelope, and she said, "We bump up against that feeling (being frightened) as much as we can to try and push that limit further and get comfortable there and then push it again. So you're constantly on the brink of crashing because that's the fastest."

As a small business owner, I know that feeling. When you're laying in bed at night and wondering if you'll make enough money to keep your family fed and provide an environment that is inspiring and profitable for the people that are working with you. Are you going the right direction, did you make the best possible decisions today? I think we all get this feeling. Whether we're starting a new job, or a new business. If we're going out on a first date or sharing something new with your spouse. Running in your first road race. Taking an exam in a hard class. Accepting a challenging project. Submitting that story idea. In life there is risk and if you're going to achieve your goals, the feeling of failure is going to be there. I really like Danica's thoughts. Bump up against it, get comfortable and push it further because that's where success lies.