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Failure: The Key to Success?

Carly Talarico

Created on October 1, 2025

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Transcript

Failure: The Key to Success?

Mrs. talarico

How are you feeling today?

Failure

Failing is a part of life. In fact, it accounts for many, many successes – for without failing, success is almost impossible. Learning how to bounce back from failure is not always easy, but it is necessary. Enthusiasm for goal attainment is a necessary characteristic for success.

Learners can:

  • understand that failure is not something to fear and in fact often a necessary step on the path to success.

"The road to success is paved with failure"

Can you name Game

Can you name a famous person who was defeated seven times while running for political office?

Can you name a cartoonish who was told by the editor of the Kansas City newspaper, "It's easy to see from these sketches that you have no talent"?

Can you name an author whose first children's book was rejected by 23 different publishers?

Can you name a famous singer who was fired after his first performance at the Grand Ole Opry?

Can you name a famous actress who dropped out of high school and held a variety of odd jobs, including doing the hair and make-up for corpses, before finally succeeding in show business?

Can you name Game

Can you name a famous author who lived on welfare for years in an apartment infested with mice?

Can you name a famous athlete who was cut from the varsity basketball team his sophomore year of high school?

Can you name an inventor who was thrown out of school in the early grades because his teachers thought he couldn't learn?

Can you name a famous Harvard University drop out?

Can you name an inventor of a fried chicken recipe that was rejected by more than 100 restaurant owners?

Think About it...

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." – Thomas Edison

Resiliency

Watch the video and think of 2 key points that you can take away from this motivational speech about the power of resiiency.

Reflection

Strategies for dealing with failure

Learn from Mistakes
Acknowledge and Accept
Stay Positive
Seek Support
Set Realistic Goals
Practice Resilience

Reflect

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison was the inventor who was kicked out of school. Following this, he was homeschooled by his mother. It took him over 700 tries before he got the filament right for the light bulb. Edison is quoted as saying: “I have not failed seven hundred times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those seven hundred ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”

Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard University. He went onto become the youngest millionaire (at the age of 26) and is the CEO of Facebook.

Practice Resilience

Build resilience by facing challenges head-on and developing coping strategies. This can make it easier to bounce back from setbacks.

Stay Positive

Focus on the positives and remind yourself of past successes. Keeping a positive mindset can help in overcoming the negative feelings associated with failure.

J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, lived on welfare for years, in an apartment infested with mice, and was rejected by 12 publishers before going on to fame and fortune.

Walt Disney

Walt Disney was told he had no talent and fired from a newspaper job. He wound up doing volunteer work for a church in an old run down garage. One day he decided to sketch one of the many mice that were running through the garage. This mouse became the famous “Mickey Mouse.”

Learn from Mistakes

Reflect on what went wrong and identify lessons that can be learned. This can help in avoiding similar mistakes in the future.

Seek Support

Talk to friends, family, or a mentor about your feelings. Sometimes, sharing your experiences can provide new perspectives and emotional support.

Acknowledge and Accept

Understand that failure is a part of life and everyone experiences it. Accepting it can be the first step towards moving forward.

Set Realistic Goals

Break down larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks. This can make it easier to achieve success and reduce the fear of failure.

Dr. Seuss

Twenty-three different publishers rejected Dr. Seuss’s first book, while the 24th accepted and sold 6 million copies of it.

Harland David Sanders AKA Colonel Sanders

Harland David Sanders (better known as Colonel Sanders) had his fried chicken recipe rejected by more than 1,000 restaurant owners before it was accepted by one. Today, people still eat it at KFCs across the world.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan was the athlete who was cut from the varsity basketball team in his sophomore year of high school. Angry and embarrassed, he began to get up early each morning to practice with the junior varsity coach. Eventually he not only made the varsity team, but also became one of the most popular athletes in the world. Michael Jordan is quoted as saying, “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was defeated in eight different elections. Yet he persisted and succeeded in becoming the 16th, and one of the most respected, presidents of the United States.

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg dropped out of high school, was on welfare and worked as a bricklayer, bank teller, and licensed cosmetician. After graduating from Beauty College, she took a job at a mortuary fixing the hair of and applying make-up to the corpses.

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley was fired after his first performance at the Grand Ole Opry. The manager told him, “You ain’t going nowhere, son. You ought to go back to driving a truck.” He went on to become one of the most famous American singers of the 20th century.