Posted on May 4, 2015
MSG Parachute Rigger
7.73K
83
23
8
8
0
10409095 797665356931472 8131196545834017535 n
WHY ARE YOU AFRAID TO TRY.? I have read many advice articles where people tell others to be gray. don't try to shine. stay in the middle of the pack. don't bring unneeded attention your way.

I say try. I say fail. I say get back up and fight some more. why not challenge yourself. why not find out where you are short and work to get better. why do we constantly tell people to not get noticed.
sure, failure sucks. but I personally prefer someone who has failed than one who has never tried. I have been recently a little disgusted. ive heard people tell others not to try because they would fail, or that they just aren't good enough, or that going out for something like best warrior is like being a teacher's pet. when I went out for NCO of the year, there were about 20 competitors in the battalion. more than ten in the company.

what about you. can you tell me how you feel about failure. what advice you truly give to people trying to stand out. those trying to go to a school or training. at what point do you tell someone to dive in. take a risk. in the end, failure only makes you better.

hell, I failed Jumpmaster School. I had never failed at anything!! it grounded me. made me want it so much more. made me have to prove myself.
I really want to hear you motivate those that are on the edge of trying out for something!!!
Posted in these groups: 11bcd87 FailureLeadership abstract 007 Leadership
Avatar feed
See Results
Responses: 15
COL Charles Williams
7
7
0
Edited 9 y ago
You can't succeed if you are afraid to fail. Winners take failure as incentive to work harder and achieve their goals. Losers see failure as a reason to stop. It is better to try and fail than never to try at all.

"It's not the critic who counts; Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit goes to the one who is actually in the arena; Who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; Who knows the great devotions, the great enthusiasms, and spends himself in a worthy cause. Who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and, at the worst, if he fails at least he fails while daring greatly; so that his place will never be among those timid and cold souls who know neither victory or defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt.
(7)
Comment
(0)
MSG Parachute Rigger
MSG (Join to see)
9 y
sir, thanks for the quote. I was looking for something for the Soldiers attending an upcoming best warrior competition. I had a few good ones, but this one is exactly what I am looking for.
(1)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
CSM Brigade Operations (S3) Sergeant Major
6
6
0
Failure
(6)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
CPT Multifunctional Logistician
5
5
0
MSG (Join to see) Thanks so much for this awesome post, Master Sergeant! Like you said, failure might be difficult to swallow initially, but it makes you much stronger in the long run. It engenders even greater drive, determination, and hunger to succeed. It forces you out of your comfort zone and adjusts your frame of reference. It also makes you a lot mentally tougher, because if you can come back from getting your heart ripped out, you can turn any obstacle to your benefit.

"Failure is what happens when you decide you failed. Until then, you're still always looking for ways to get where you want to be." -Tim Grover, MJ 's strength & conditioning coach
(5)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small

Join nearly 2 million former and current members of the US military, just like you.

close