Failing Forward (Maxwell, 2000)

Failing Forward (Maxwell, 2000)

Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success

The author of 24 books on maximizing personal and leadership potential, John C. Maxwell believes "the difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure." In Failing Forward, he offers inspirational advice for turning the difficulties that inevitably arise in life into stepping stones that help you reach the top. Noting that star performers are often those who aggressively push forward after encountering adversity, Maxwell shows how a variety of well-known and not-so-well-known people have forged ahead despite obstacles that could have derailed them. They include: Mary Kay Ash, who founded her cosmetics firm against enormous odds when the direct-sales company she toiled in for 25 years resisted her continued corporate climb; Truett Cathy, who lost two brothers (and business partners) in an airplane crash and experienced his own serious medical problems before establishing the Chick-fil-A fast-food chain; Greg Horn, who reopened his Kentucky grocery store just 21 days after it suffered $1 million in flood damage; and Beck Weathers, who lost his nose, half of one arm, and the fingers on his other in the infamous 1996 Into Thin Air Mt. Everest tragedy, but now takes a positive message of survival and conquest to audiences around the world. --Howard Rothman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description
The major difference between achieving people and average people is their perception of and response to failure. John C. Maxwell covers the top reasons people fail and shows how to master fear instead of being mastered by it. Listeners will discover that positive benefits can accompany negative experiences-if you have the right attitude. Chock full of action suggestions and real-life stories, Failing Forward will help men and women move beyond mistakes to fulfill their potential and achieve success.

p.2 The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.

p.3 There is no doubt in my mind that there are many ways to be a winner, but there is really only one way to be a loser and that is to fail and not look beyond the failure. - Kyle Rote, Jr.

p.4-5 In Leadership Magazine, J. Wallace Hamilton states, " ... many people are training for success when they should be training for failure. Failure is more common than success..." ...Because in life, the question is not if you will have problems, but how you are going to deal with your problems. Are you going to fail forward or backward?

p.42 President Roosevelt said, "He who makes no mistakes makes no progress."

p.155-162 the top ten reasons people fail... 1. Poor People Skills... 2. A Negative Attitude... 3. A Bad Fit... 4. Lack of Focus... 5. A Weak Commitment... 6. An Unwillingness to Change... 7. A Shortcut Mind-Set... 8. Relying on Talent Alone... 9. A Response to Poor Information... 10. No Goals

p.160 The common denominator of success lies in forming the habit of doing things that failures don't like to do. - Albert Gray

p.160 A common obstacle to success is the desire to cut corners and take the short road to success. But shortcuts never pay off in the long run. As Napoleon said, victory belongs to the most persevering.

Most people underestimate the time it takes to achieve something of value, but to be successful, you have to be willing to pay your dues.

p.161 Talent is overrated. Not because it doesn't have value, but because talent alone isn't enough to take a person through the multiple failures that life brings. Adding a strong work ethic to talent is like pouring gasoline on a fire. It's explosive!

p.189 Steps to Failing Forward