What is failure?
My 17-year-old son, Will built a boat. Really. He built a boat out of scrap wood in our backyard. One day during this COVID-19 quarantine, he mentioned that he might want to build a boat. I shrugged and suggested that he ask Youtube for help to build his boat. (Because Youtube has all of the answers.) But he said that it would be cheating to get instructions… I didn’t expect it to go much past the initial thought of “I want to build a boat” stage. But it did. Way past the initial idea!
A few days later, a couple of his friends came over and began building their boat. They worked on it for the entire day and into the night. We went to bed expecting them to call it quits soon. But the next morning when I left for my walk I realized that all of the boys were at my house at 6 am! This was very strange. Why would 3 teenage boys be at my house working on a boat at 6 am?
So I went to investigate. It turns out, not one of them had gone home the night before! Really. It is some kind of miracle. They had worked all night long on that stupid boat. They planned to launch it that day. But there was more work to do than they anticipated. So the launch was postponed for a few days.
After much work and an unknown amount of dollars, launch day arrived a few days later.
The Launch
The epic boat launch of May 2020!
The boat was painted black, had benches for sitting installed as well as custom cup holders for the occupants. It was rather tall and I worried that the height may be a design flaw. But then I have never built a boat. They christened her “Black Hawk” and set out for their maiden voyage.
We all gathered at the reservoir to witness the launch of the “Black Hawk”. We were all curious as to how long it would take this 500-pound boat to sink to the bottom of the lake. The boys had assured me that they would bring life vests but they conveniently “forgot” them.
After some maneuvering, the boat was launched. However, there seemed to be some design flaws. The kids in the boat couldn’t move right or left without the boat almost toppling over. After many near turnovers, they got their bearings and they were pushed further out into the lake. But then something strange started to happen. The longer that the boat was in the water, the less wobbly it got as it sunk deeper and deeper into the water. But as it got lower in the water, it became less unsteady and easier to maneuver.
Sinking ships don’t float
The boy at the back had thought to bring a bucket and started frantically bailing water. I wasn’t sure if they would make it back to shore. It was touch and go there for a while. With two boys trying to paddle, one boy bailing, and a girl standing in the middle of it all. And some curious kayakers floating around the boat wondering what this contraption was. Finally, Will got out of the boat and pushed it to shore.
What is success?
Can you hear them in the video? They are seeing where things didn’t work and then discussing what they should do next time. They are not embarrassed that they tried! They are just looking at what they can change next time.
So my question is what is failure? Was this a failure? And if so was it a waste of time, wood, and unfinished homework? I think this was a rousing success. Sometimes, we set goals, and then when we don’t quite get there we call the whole project a failure. But what if the victory is in the trying? What if your goal is to sail across the ocean and you only make it halfway? What if your goal is to make a million $ but you only make $1000? What if your goal is to lose 50 pounds and you only lose 5? Are all of these things failures? Many will say yes.
But I disagree. I believe that to fail is to give up. To have had a great idea and then not making that idea come alive is failing. Maybe it isn’t perfect the 1st or the 10,000th time but we keep trying until it becomes something.
One of the kids there said, “It’s better than the Titanic!” Way to be optimistic!
What I learned from a sinking ship
So what is failure? Failure is quitting after something didn’t go right. Failure is not learning from the experience. There were so many lessons learned. Here are just a few.
- Just start and see what happens.
- Set goals that are out of your reach.
- Gather your friends and have some fun creating something amazing.
- If it doesn’t work, collect data, and try again.
What are you not doing because you are afraid to fail? Would you quit making plans and just start?
Are you setting goals that are easy for you and you don’t have to stretch and grow to get close to?
What are you not trying because of what others might think of you? What would happen if you asked them to join you?
Are you looking at what is working and what’s not working and making adjustments for next time?
I challenge you today to try something new today whether it be writing a blog post or building a boat or whatever you feel inspired to create! You will be better for it!
Cindy is the author “Doodle Healing”. A fun, easy, and effective guide to design a life of purpose and joy no matter your circumstances.
She teaches Doodle Therapy courses designed to help women improve their emotional and mental health 40X faster with doodling than without.
