Embracing The Fear Of Failure

Let me tell you a story about one of the most courageous men I've ever known and how he put his life in my hands. 

This man didn’t storm a hill or do anything heroic on the battlefield. He displayed incredible personal courage by facing his fear. 

I went through my Army basic training in Fort Knox, KY. In training, you could earn extra recognition and achievements by completing a certain set of activities that challenged your skill sets. 

One of those skill sets was to jump off the high dive into a pool fully clothed with your rifle and swim to the edge unassisted.

This exercise was completely voluntary. The purpose was for extra recognition and nothing more.

As one of the few with lifeguard training, I volunteered to act as one of the lifeguards for the rest of the soldiers. 

Those of us who volunteered jumped off the high-dive first, swam to the side, took off our uniforms and stripped down to our swim trunks to act as lifeguards.

As I was standing there at the bottom of the diving board next to the line of fellow soldiers getting ready to ascend the ladder, a very big man came up to me, and pulled me aside. 

He said, “I don't know how to swim.” 

A little confused, I reminded him that this exercise was entirely voluntary, “You do not HAVE to do this. It’s only for extra credit.”

He explained to me, “I'm going to fail because I can't swim, but I want to go through this, and I need to know that you'll be there to pull me out.” 

Now I was very confused because if I couldn’t swim, I would not be jumping off a diving board fully-clothed with a rifle in my hand, but I promised him I would be there for him..

As he slowly climbed the ladder I warn the other lifeguards to be prepared because he couldn’t swim. Then, without hesitation, he stepped off the high dive and hit the water.

As the water churned, we waited for him to bob back to the top so we could drag him to the side. 

But, as the water cleared, I was astounded. This man was literally standing on the bottom of the pool, looking up at me with a rifle in his hands. He sank like a rock.

All three of us dove in immediately and pulled him up. He was surprisingly calm the entire time — he just laid there on his back, looking up at the ceiling as we pulled him to safety. 

This experience has stayed with me for more than 30 years ago. 

I am still awe-struck by the courage of that stranger to take that step and have the faith to make that leap.

To face the fear of drowning, of dying, and then to do that exercise and just be okay was such a shock to me. 

He thanked me. He explained that his whole life he had been afraid of the water. And this one act of courage had freed him from that fear. There were tears in his eyes of gratitude as he shook my hand. His fear had become his strength.

When I am faced with a difficult challenge or push myself to do something where I fear failure, I reflect on that man and how he had the courage and the personal fortitude to say, “I want to do this. I know I am guaranteed to fail. Yet I still want to overcome my fear.”

Even if you’re unlikely to succeed, even if you know for a fact that you will fail, would you still try?

So, dream big. Set yourself up for failure. Your response to failure is the key to your success.