The Greatest Teacher

Between the two, is success or failure the greatest teacher? You could probably make an argument for either one. Success is a great teacher because it fuels your passion. Failure is a great teacher because it helps align your dreams to reality. So, which is the greatest? It is simple: the one you learn from.

Success and failure have some things in common:

  • Both can teach you perseverance.
  • Both can motivate you.
  • You can’t have one without the other.

Nobody bats 1,000. Failing is just part of the process. Eventually you are more likely to succeed if you don’t throw in the towel. The lesson is this: learn from both.

If you have been hitting your head against a wall trying to succeed and not making any progress, here are some suggestions:

  • Ask someone who is not emotionally attached to the situation to help you see it for what it is. You may get the clarity that you have been lacking. Just make sure the person you ask has wisdom and common sense.
  • You have to come to a point where you either have a breakthrough or you let it go. You don’t want to waste your life chasing your tail, but you also don’t want to miss the opportunity to see your dreams come true.
  • If you have been knocking on the same door over and over and it isn’t opening, either find another door or seek a person who has the key. When I was in medical sales, my goal was to find one person of influence in the organization who believed in me and my company. If I did my job right, they did the selling for me to the ones who held the purse strings.
  • Expect resistance, delays, competition, apathy, and even outright hatred for you or your project. Not everyone will be your cheerleader or friend. You have to have thick skin and not let the haters destroy your dreams.

Love what you do. Either love it or leave it.

“If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.” Zig Ziglar

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

4 Responses to “The Greatest Teacher”

  1. Luqman Michel says:

    Excellent post. It feels as though the post is talking directly to me.

    “Just make sure the person you ask has wisdom and common sense.” This is one big hurdle as common sense appears to be lacking among many.

    Back in 2010 I had challenged the more than 35 year old theory that ‘Phonological awareness deficit’ is the cause of kids not being able to read. Now, that theory has been debunked. It took more than 5 years for that to be ‘scientifically researched’ when in fact it is purely common sense.

    Similarly, in time the world will accept my finding that most struggling kids who find it difficult to read are in fact instructional casualties.

  2. Martey-Temple says:

    Dan you’re once more on point. I’ve to dig a little more into it to tap the wisdom therein. I’ve been away for sometime now – unavailable any way. but I’m going to try make up for the moments of absence.