Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday April 1, 2009

Have you ever wondered why we humans spend so much time worrying about failing at some undertaking, and then realize it is way too late to seize the opportunity as the tide has receded for the idea to wash ashore in the sea of your mind? (I was taught to use short sentences like the preceding one).

For most of my adult life I have been taught that the number one cause of failure is the fear of it. We seem to get a picture in our mind of what failure looks like and then like legendary Lemmings making their mad rush to the sea, we march in lock step toward the failure we fear.

I asked a man who appeared to be "down on his luck" why was he so terribly afraid of failure and he said to me, "Mr. I know what real failure does to people, I know what failing has done to me and I'm just afeared to mess with it anymore."

I recall reading advice Lucky Luciano gave to his children:

"If at first you do not succeed, destroy all the evidence."

I know, I threw you a curve, but the statement we usually use is here, with background:

"IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED

WE ARE NOT fast learners. In fact, we don't learn at all. Not anything of substance, at least. All we learn is fear; and fear is overwhelmed by need; and need finds its ally in hope. We do not learn to stop trying. We fall down and some kind soul picks us up and dries away our tears and pats us and powders us and sends us on our way again. We put out timid feelers, ready instantly to retract at the slightest rebuff, but we keep on putting them out. A shy and hopeful smile greets every prospect, though if it is not returned, we may pretend that we were just smiling to ourselves. We are ashamed at our need and try to hide it, but everybody knows. They know because they are like us. Everybody's been there, or is there, or is going there soon. Everybody. In matters of the heart, there is no respect of persons.

May 10

'Tis a lesson you should heed,
Try, try again.
If at first you don't succeed,
Try, try again. -

Thomas H. Palmer (1782 - 1861) Teacher's Manual (1840) “

Doyle Brunson wrote:

"Make failure your teacher, not your undertaker."

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2009 Use with credit

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