The Fine Line Between Success and Failure

This post may contain affiliate links. FinanceSuperhero only recommends products we know and trust ourselves.

Liked this? Share it!

Each new month brings change. As many turn the page toward a new month, this is often the time that goals, resolutions, and dreams are abandoned. This is prime time for rationalization and excuses. This is the time when many people just give up and return to their old habits.

The act of quitting is a puzzling phenomenon. Do quitters simply run out of steam? Did they set an unrealistic or unreachable goal at the outset? Did they choose a goal that they truly wanted to achieve?

Ultimately, we have a ready-made list of reasons for quitting before we even begin striving toward a new goal. Among the many standout excuses, the following are typical:

*Fear of possible failure

*Lack of noticeable progress

*Impatience

*Lack of support from loved ones and friends

*Goal does not align with true desires

*Too little time to devote toward the goal

*Distractions

*Reward does not appear to be worth the effort

*Inability to change current habits

If we are honest, most of us have probably fallen prey to most, if not all, of these excuses. When we give up, excuses provide comfort and relief, especially if others affirm and support those excuses. 

Yet at our cores, quitting is unsettling because it carries a weight of finality. When we quit, we close a door behind us. We eliminate the possibility of success, no matter how unlikely it may have appeared in the first place.

You Can Choose Your Side on the Fine Line Between Success and Failure

I often wonder, “What monumental achievements and advancements has civilization missed out on because someone decided to quit when they were unknowingly on the verge of a breakthrough?”

This is a tough question to answer. Perhaps it is best that we don’t have answers. But I can’t help wondering how many people have quit, like the man in the adjacent image, when they were on the cusp of success.

The fine line between success and failure varies greatly for each of us, but one element is a consistent factor in nearly all scenarios:

EFFORT.

No, effort alone is not enough. I have put forth strong efforts and failed at times. I have also put forth minimal effort and still achieved moderate success, much to my surprise. But more often than not, effort has been a difference maker.

The relationship between quitting and effort is as straightforward as they come; the act of quitting is a conscious decision to cease all efforts. As Sophocles said, “Success is dependent on effort.”

Don’t Quit on Yourself and Your Goals

If you’re currently considering easing up on a goal or even abandoning it altogether, scroll back up and look at the second miner. A few more reps in the gym, one more phone call, or even a few more dollars saved could be all that remains; you may be walking away from a fine line between success and failure which is just waiting to topple. Don’t quit now!

If you’re afraid to fail, remember this: What we fear rarely, if ever, comes to pass; at the same time, it is better to try and fail than to quit.

If you’re afraid that failure is permanent, remember that your past mistakes do not define your future unless you allow them to do so. Even the miner who threw in the towel can turn things around with one step in the right direction.

If you’re afraid of the ridicule and embarrassment which my arise out of failure, remind yourself of the convictions which led you to begin the pursuit of the current goal. And do not forget that no actions, no matter how flawless they may appear to you, will make sense to everyone else.

And finally, if you’re afraid of ongoing struggle and how it may impact your happiness, remember that you always have the choice to embrace the struggles inherent in challenges as opportunities to grow. You may even realize that you feel most alive when you face and conquer obstacles without succumbing to the desire to quit.

Don’t retreat – ADVANCE!

In his famous 1933 inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt reminded the world about the nature of fear:

So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

Historians and students alike focus primarily upon the first half of this timeless quote. They say, “Just don’t be afraid and you’ll be able to keep going!”

I, on the other, believe the careful application of the latter words to be far more important. Fear all you want. Fear can’t defeat you. Fear will not cause you to fail. Only retreat can cause you to fail. So, advance, even if you feel like quitting.

This is the true way to cross over the fine line between success and failure.

Liked this? Share it!