Failure is not the outcome - failure is not trying. Don't be afraid to fail.
Interpretation
Failure is a lack of effort, not the act of failing itself.
In this quote, Sara Blakely emphasizes that the true failure lies in not attempting to pursue one's goals and ambitions. She encourages individuals to embrace the possibility of failure as a part of the learning and growth process, and not to let the fear of failing prevent them from taking action towards their aspirations.
In practice
During a motivational speech to students at a school.
My dad encouraged us to fail. Growing up, he would ask us what we failed at that week. If we didn't have something, he would be disappointed. It changed my mindset at an early age that failure is not the outcome, failure is not trying. Don't be afraid to fail.
Don't let what you don't know scare you, because it can become your greatest asset. And if you do things without knowing how they have always been done, you're guaranteed to do them differently.
I think my story says that, when women are given the chance and the opportunity, that we can achieve a lot. We deliver.
I failed the LSAT. Basically, if I had not failed, I'd have been a lawyer and there would be no Spanx. I think failure is nothing more than life's way of nudging you that you are off course. My attitude to failure is not attached to outcome, but in not trying. It is liberating.
I made a conscious decision not to tell anyone in my life. Now I tell people - don't tell anyone your idea until you have invested enough of yourself in it that you are not going to turn back. When a person has an idea at that conception moment it is the most vulnerable - one negative comment could knock you off course.
I think failure is nothing more than life's way of nudging you that you are off course. My attitude to failure is not attached to outcome, but in not trying. It is liberating. Most people attach failure to something not working out or how people perceive you. This way, it is about answering to yourself.
I decide my future. I decide what I want to do. Nobody else. If I decide this will be my last year, maybe it is. If I decide it will be my last contract, I decide that. Nobody else. So I will decide when the moment is there.
I could use a hundred people who don't know there is such a word as impossible.
If you have a purpose in which you can believe, there's no end to the amount of things you can accomplish.
Dream big . . . don't let anybody or anything break your wishbone. Stay strong, full of faith, and courageous... keep that backbone straight. And along the way, don't forget to laugh and enjoy the journey.
There is no finish line. When you reach one goal, find a new one.
I will persist. I will always take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another.
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