Failure Isn’t Final

A IronMen of God Reminder

Failure Isn’t Final

I’m a firm believer that it is never as bad as it may look, and there are always alternatives, possibilities, and second chances.  
As the late, great sage Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
For many years, the Empire State Building in New York City was the tallest building in the world. It remains an iconic structure today and has been immortalized in many legends, movies, and TV programs. 

 Over the decades, more than 30 people have jumped from the extreme height of the Empire State Building. Few things in the course of human endeavor would seem more hopeless and final than leaping from the Empire State Building to end one’s life; however, history reveals that on two occasions, people with every intention of committing suicide jumped from a height of nearly 1,000 feet and lived to tell about it. 

In 1979, a woman jumped from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, but instead of plunging to the pavement nearly a quarter of a mile below, she was blown into an open window on a lower floor. She suffered a broken hip but, otherwise, received a second chance at life. 

In 2013, a man jumped from the observation deck, but once again instead of ending his life, he was found on a window ledge beneath where he had jumped, the beneficiary of another favorable wind. 

All of us have had failures and setbacks. Some of them are random, and others we have brought on ourselves. Success and failure are defined by each individual and are not final until we declare it so. The history books are filled with people who suffered the most devastating failures imaginable and experienced great success that followed. 

If you’ve experienced failure, you need to explore what you have learned, how you have grown, and the lessons you have internalized. When you take inventory, you may realize that it’s not a matter of you starting over. It’s a matter of the new and improved you getting another chance.

As you go through your day today, remember that failure isn’t final. It’s fertilizer for success.

by Jim Stovall

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