The biggest difference between high achievers and everyone else is that high achievers are not afraid to try–they view failure as their best teacher. High achievers understand that if they try something and fail, they will learn valuable lessons upon which they can build future successes. As former social activist and U. S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare John W. Gardner put it, “We pay a heavy price for our fear of failure. It assures the progressive narrowing of the personality and prevents exploration and experimentation. There is no learning without some difficulty and fumbling. If you want to keep on learning, you must keep on risking failure all your life.”

One Sentence Wisdom

• “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” — Ken Robinson
• “When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.” — Ellen DeGeneres

If you know of someone who you think would enjoy reading my Reminder, please forward it to them. Also, feel free to use this content in your own publications—newsletters, blogs, etc.