Hello ,
I’ve been thinking about failure, and how it can be a necessary step toward success. I spent my twenties so petrified of making a mistake in my work that at times I was paralyzed. Later as a young parent my fear of failure caused me to treat my children unnecessarily harsh.
The word success comes from the latin
succedere, which, according to Merriam-Webster means “to come after”—come after what? Failure.
It seems true that in retrospect many of our failures eventually bring success. Maybe it’s all in our we look at them. Sir Ernest Shackleton is most well known for his 1914-1916 Endurance expedition, arguably one of the greatest survival stories of all time.
Shackleton first expedition to explore the Antarctic failed when he had to turn back. His
second expedition, an attempt to reach the South Pole, also failed. But explorers tend to be explorers because they don’t give up. So he set out a third time, hoping to be the first to cross the Antarctic continent (1,800 miles) on foot.
As his ship the Endurance approached Antarctica, it ran into ice slowly progress. Then a sharp drop in the temperature cemented loose ice together trapping the Endurance, until in the words of the ship's storekeeper, she
was "Like an almond in a piece of toffee".
It was late February when Shackleton realized the ship would be iced in until the following spring (September). Then the pack ice would thaw freeing the ship, or it would harden and the winds and tide would play upon it until it crushed the ship.
The Endurance crew played a lot of football and hockey to pass the time.
In October, the Endurance started taking on water, and Shackleton ordered his crew to move provisions and equipment to the ice and set up
camp.
Already, the expedition has been stranded nearly a year. Surely at this point, the trip is a failure. What’s Shackleton to do?
At this point his disappointment must have been bitter. He was 40 years old, the expedition had taken huge amounts of effort and energy to prepare, he was unlikely to have this opportunity again, even if he did make it out alive.
In recent decades numerous books have
touted Shackleton's leadership style as a strategy to succeed in the modern business world.
In a National Geographic article, Historian Nancy Koehn observes that Shackleton’s goal quickly shifted from exploration to ensuring a safe return home for himself and his crew. “It’s a huge failure from the perspective of exploration,
right? Above photo by Frank Hurley, expedition photographer.
Cut off from the world, the men survive the brutally harsh Antarctic wasteland another five months camping on ice floes, eating seals and penguins, then undertake a perilous journey
over stormy seas in their sunken ship's lifeboats. Finally, they reach a bleak island far from any shipping routes.
Shackleton decides he must go for help, or his crew will not survive. He and five others navigate 800 miles of treacherous open ocean in a 20-foot boat to reach a whaling port. The final leg of the trip is a 32 mile hike over mountainous terrain for 36 hours.
It takes Shackleton four
tries and another three months before he gets a rescue ship back for his crew. All 27 men survive. Shackleton's failure becomes one of the most inspiring survival stories of all time. It leaves me with much to ponder. In the midst of failure, can I accept it and shift focus? Am I willing to look at my failures as a way to gain information in order to succeed? Can I remember that wanting to exceed my grasp is part of the human
condition?
As always, I'd love to know what you think.
November is National Novel Writing Month, fondly known as NaNoWriMo. It's an effort by more than 300-thousand people to write an entire novel in 30-days.
This year I am going to try it for the first time! If you've always imagined writing a book, jump in and give it a try. More info here...
While trying to write my novel, I will also be working on two other book projects, so if by chance you don't hear from me in the next month, that's why. Wish me luck! |
Thank you for being here! Your support means a lot to me. If you know someone who might enjoy this newsletter, please forward this e-mail. If you'd like to get your hands on a copy of PURE GRIT, here's the place! I will never spam you or sell your email address, you can unsubscribe below anytime with a single mouse click. To find out more about my books, how I help students, teachers and librarians, visit my website at www.MaryCronkFarrell.com. My best, Mary
Questions? Comments? Contact me at MaryCronkFarrell@gmail.com. Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. |
|
