I love the quote below from Michael Jordan.

On FAILURE… I’ve missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot… and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

~ Michael Jordan

There are many, many quotes like this out there. It just goes to show that you must put yourself out there to fail, and you must experience failure and discomfort, in order to be successful.

Babe Ruth was the home run king of his time. But what many people do not know is that in the same year he was the home run champion, he also had the record for the most strike outs. After he would strike out he would come back to the bench with a smile on his face. His team mates would ask him why he was smiling after striking out. His response was "That’s ok. With that strike out, I’m one step closer to my next home run".

In the major leagues, a GREAT batter has a batting average of .300. A batter with a consistent .300 average is considered an All Star. What does a .300 batting average mean? It means that for every 10 at- bats, the batter is successful (or gets a hit) 3 times. Only 3 times? A batter is considered an All Star if he is only successful 30% of the time?That means HE’S FAILING 70% OF THE TIME! But because he is just getting out there and trying, he is successful. Will he get a hit every time? NO! Nobody in history has ever had a 1.000 batting average consistently (10 hits out of 10 tries on average). Based on the averages… the numbers… they know that every time they go out there and give it a shot, WHETHER THEY SUCCEED OR FAIL, they are one step closer to a success.

People don’t want to "strike out", so they don’t even get out there and bat. They find excuses and try to find other things to do. They stay on the bench in their comfort zone with the mentality "if I just sit here and not go out to bat, I certainly won’t strike out!". That may be true, but then again, it may not be true. They won’t strike out in that particular situation… in the short term. But they have struck out with the long-term attempt to go after their dreams. And they will have NO chance of that home run… let alone a hit of any kind.

Thomas Edison is credited with the invention of the incandescent light bulb… one of the most respected inventors in our country’s history. What many people do not know is that in his quest to create the light bulb, the experiments failed miserably over 1,000 times. One reporter asked him, "Mr. Edison, what do you have to say about 1,000 failed experiments?" His response was, "I didn’t fail. I just found 1,000 ways not to do it."

Many of us, after a few failures, after a few people telling us that they are not interested in our business, go back to our comfort zone and sit on the bench "where it’s safe". We go back to our jobs, back to our routines… after all, there is no discomfort there. Weeks go by, then months. Then our mind starts to forget about our dreams and goals. Then we try to convince ourselves, "that’s ok. My J.O.B. isn’t THAT bad. I really didn’t want that big house on the ocean anyway, or all of that free time to travel with my family and loved ones".

Network Marketing is just about talking to people.. Talking to lots of people about it. Not batting only 10 times… but hundreds of times. Is it scary? Yes. Are we going to fail at it often? Yes. Can we succeed and become All Stars? YES! How?? Think back to the All Star baseball player. With a .300 average, he has successful hits 30 times out of 100. Let’s say we have a new potential All Star baseball player who has just started on the team. It’s his very first game and he is scared and nervous. Let’s say he bats 10 times during that first game… And he strikes out all 10 times.

THIS IS THE POINT WHERE WE ALL MAKE THE CHOICE TO SUCCEED OR FAIL!

Here are his options:

1. "I just can’t do this. I’m not good at it. I can’t seem to get a hit and I’ll NEVER be able to get a hit. I’m just going to give it up. This just isn’t for me. I quit."

2. "Well, that was terrible. I must have looked like an idiot striking out in front of all of those people. No telling what they must be thinking of me. I’ll just tell the coach to sit me on the bench during the next game so I won’t make a spectacle of myself again!"

3. "Well, I understand the numbers and I understand that even the most successful batters strike out sometimes. I had a rough day, but what EXPERIENCE I’ve gained today! I know that an All Star succeeds at-bat only 30 times out of 100 and I’ve only batted 10 times. I’m just a few at-bats away from that successful hit! I’ll go and practice my swing and consult with my coaches to see how I can be a little better next time and I’ll look forward to my next 10 at- bats during the next game!"

So… is his choice obvious? He chooses # 3… he chooses to succeed.

But think about all of the people in our business who follow # 1… they quit right away. This is always curious to me that some people come into this business and they are gone in a few weeks or a few months. These are the quitters.

From what I’ve seen in my own business, I think MOST people follow # 2. They haven’t quit but they "struck out" once or twice… or maybe 10 times. Someone laughed at them or told them they were crazy being in a business like this, or that they’ll never succeed. Their feelings were hurt or they are concerned with what people think of them. There are lots of reasons but there is something holding them back from getting out of their comfort zone and going through the failure/success process. They are sitting on the bench as spectators. And they do this for months or YEARS. I hear it a lot… "Yes, I’m in USANA and I’ve been a Sharer for 12 years. I just haven’t been working the business that hard, I’ve been so busy doing other things". These are the spectators.

Then there is the rare # 3. The All Stars. Why is # 3 rare? It takes courage to face failure over and over. The rare # 3 knows that this is just a numbers game. If we go through enough failures, WE WILL SUCCEED! We are a sorting machine, sorting through lots and lots of people until we find those who want to work with us, those who are looking for health and financial freedom. Is that 100% of the people we come across? Of course not. 20%? Maybe. 10%? Maybe. Will the rare # 3 successfully sign up 10 people out of 100 that he approaches? Ask that question to the All Star and he/she will say "I don’t really know… but let’s find out!". They are anxious to get out there to bat again and are always anxious for the next game, whether they strikeout or not. They truly know that 10 strike outs are getting them closer to that home run. And they never quit. Never. These are the All Stars.

Many of the most successful wealth builders of our time (Robert Allen, Robert Kiyosaki, Donald Trump) have had tremendous failures before reaching success. They could have given up after losing everything or after filing for bankruptcy the first, second or even the third time. We have to realize that with action comes failure, with failure comes education. The more action, failure and education we gain, the more successful we will become.

Take these thoughts and integrate them into your life and into your business. As Henry Ford said, "you can think you will succeed, or think you will fail. Either case, you’re probably right."

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