I’ve Blown it more than once, and I have a hunch, you have too.

It seems to me that it was easier to get over failure when I was a kid, than it is now…and I wonder why?  Even more important than the question “WHY?” is, can we recapture the attitude we had towards failure when we were kids, and if so…HOW?

Let’s go back and look at the lyrics of the 1999 Kenny Rogers hit…”The Greatest”

The Greatestby Kenny Rogers (1999)
The Greatest
Little Boy, in a baseball hat
Stands in the field with his ball and bat
Says I am the greatest player of them all
Puts his bat on his shoulder and he tosses up his ball

And the ball goes up and the ball comes down
Swings his bat all the way around
The world’s so still you can hear the sound
The baseball falls to the ground

Now the little boy doesn’t say a word
Picks up his ball, he is undeterred
Says I am the greatest there has ever been
And he grits his teeth and he tries it again

And the ball goes up and the ball comes down
Swings his bat all the way around
The world’s so still you can hear the sound
The baseball falls to the ground

He makes no excuses, He shows no fears
He just closes his eyes and listens to the cheers

Little boy, he adjusts his hat
Picks up his ball, stares at his bat
Says I am the greatest the game is on the line
And he gives his all one last time

And the ball goes up like the moon so bright
Swings his bat with all his might
And the world’s so still as still can be
And the baseball falls, and that’s strike three

Now it’s supper time and his mama calls
Little boy starts home with his bat and ball
Says I am the greatest that is a fact
But even I didn’t know I could pitch like that
The Greatest

How can we have the same perspective as this Great young man.  I realize that we have to be realistic about our capabilities, but I think all to often we sell ourselves short, and give up to quickly.

Next time you fail at something, try to “turn those lemons into lemonade”.  Assess what you did right, and take careful notes on what went wrong as well.  Consider how much better off you’ll be next time with this new knowledge, and remember that failure is a necessary part of success.

If we’re intentional about learning from our mistakes, our future successes will be just that much sweeter, and our attitude towards them both help determine our Legacy.

Being Intentional about our Legacy…Changes our world!!!

“Randell Mark” Olson