The Top Commandment

Don’t be afraid to fail. It is ok to fail. It is actually good that you fail. Failure is an option. Failure is also commonly known as fear, and “We have more to fear than fear itself”, as best quipped by FDR in 1933.

Fear and the thought of  Failure, comes from the expectations set upon us by our society by the one who took second placed. And nobody remembers who lost any Super Bowl. Nobody remembers who came in second. There are no awards for second place. Everyone remembers a winner.

It is in our nature to be winners, to come in first place. First place is best captured by George Patton, the General of WWII during a speech he said to the 6th Armored division: “America loves a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. I wouldn’t give a hoot in Hell for a man who lost and laughed.” Another famous person who captures the essence of winning, is none other than Vince Lombardi.  He took the Packers to five Super Bowls, winning two, and forever his name will be associated with the definition of a “Winner”.

Vince Lombardi said in an speech, “There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game and that is first place.” And am sure we are surrounded by more quotes than I can put in a blog. Even our former governor, former Mr. Universe, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has his Six Secrets to Success. And he put the fear of fear in his competitors.

So why, in a few words, go from great quotes from amazing individuals on Winning and being Number 1, to embracing failure?

Because entrepreneurship is all about the constant living with this fear of failure, which paralyzes us, which demotivates us, makes us un-safe, which makes us retreat and makes us weak and which keeps us doing the same onerous task day in and day out. But when you peel all the layers of fear, it is not failure we are afraid of, it is the fear of the unknown. That unknown is what we are afraid of and it is our subconscious mind acting up which makes us believe it is failure what we are afraid of.

But let me just say that, that unknown, that uncharted territory, that “black closet”, “dark alley”, is what makes entrepreneurship the essence of the American Dream. Not knowing what is going to happen, how, when, and where, are things that we are faced with and challenged each day of our entrepreneur life. Running a business is complex. There is no school on how to run a business (Facebook 101) and no classes on how to react to situations that may arise out of Murphy’s law. (iPadGate).

And why do I say not to be afraid of failure? and that failure is an option? Well, at least for me,  when I reach 80 years of age, I rather be resting on a hammock over looking the ocean with a smile on my face because I will forever know that “I tried it” instead of asking myself “what if….”. And I hope that you can learn, that the best gift you can give yourself is the gift of going after your dream instead of living someone else’s’ dream. Just like the late Jobs said in his Stanford speech “Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.”

It is after all, the will, the perseverance, the determination, the chutzpa, the constant challenge, and of those who are not afraid fail, which makes a great entrepreneur.

So stop being afraid of failure. Go start something. You never know. You may like it, and it will forever put a smile in your face.

Thoughts? Questions? Comments?

Carlos.