Five Causes of Failure

Well, technically the list is called "30 Major Causes of Failure". 

But I'm going to focus on only five of them.

If you are curious what the others are then, when you pick up your copy of Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich", you'll find in the chapter on the sixth step to attaining riches.  And that step is Organized Planning.

Now this chapter was a long one, going over many points and ways you can organize your ideas and make them into solid plan, so that you may attain your goals.  It also talks about how, even if you fail the first time or even the first hundred times, that you can still use this type of planning to try again, and again, and again, till you achieve your intended desire.

And in this chapter he makes it a point to show that true failure isn't just the act of not achieving your desires, but it's giving up after the first hurdle comes up and everyone tells you it's stupid to go on.  As he points out Edison failed 10,000 times before he got the light bulb to work.  Think of what would have happened if he gave up after the first try, or even try 9,999.  Then it would definitely been a failure.  When things don't work out what is really happening is that your plan for making your desires come true has some glitches in it.  The problems you face with your plan are meant to be fixed, not walked away from.  And I have to say this is certainly a refreshing look at what failure truly is.

I also found this list of 30 major causes of failure to be very enlightening.  It's very easy to list the things that you should do, and then tell yourself that you can do those things.  But when the list of things you shouldn't do comes out, and you realize you're doing some of them, well that certainly makes you think. 

The causes I'm listing down below are only 5 of these 30 causes.  And the reason I'm listing them is because they are not the types of causes I've ever thought of.  Lack of persistence, that makes sense.  Not knowing what your desires are, well how could you begin to succeed without knowing that!  Being too cautious, it makes you think for a moment but it is true.  But these ones weren't even on my radar when I was reading this list, and that's why I'm listing them here.  Not only to explain why they are causes of failure, but also why they surprised me.

1.) Lack of Well-Defined Purpose in Life

Now, looking at it again, I guess you could say that not knowing your desires is pretty much the same thing.  But I tend to disagree with that thinking.  Or maybe it's just me that had that thought and I've just disagreed with myself.  Wouldn't be the first time.  Just don't tell my husband though....

Anyway, when I first read this I thought to myself "Sure I have a purpose in life, to be happy and healthy and to love my family and friends!"  Then I reread the "Well-Defined" part and said "Oh."  As Napoleon Hill says, about 98% of people in this world will say a very generic and broad statement when talking about what their purpose is in life.  Very VERY few of us actually state "Well I'm planning to make a passenger space shuttle that will take families to Mars for vacation."  Or "I am going to do a detailed analysis on psychological factoring of poverty in hopes to make a plan to abolish it."  Or "I'm going to go to law school and become a lawyer.  And when I pass the bar I'm going to create a successful practice that helps others get back on their feet after facing great adversity and help them to create a new life for themselves."  Actually that last statement was what my husband's purpose is.  He new he wanted to be a lawyer so he could help people.  He made a plan on how to do it and he did it!  And he's still doing it!  I'm so proud!

And what about me?  Now that I've read this cause several times I realize now that I should state a purpose that is well-defined.  And after thinking about it a long while, including meditating with my cats, I've decided that becoming a mother is my well-defined purpose in life.  Are there other things I like to do, and do want to do?  Yes.  And will I or do I do them?  Yes.  Will being a mother stop me?  No.  But becoming a mother, for me, is one of my greatest desires and something I've been wanting for years now.  Now I know I could just state that and have that be that, but I went one step further.  As part of my first activity, I created a 6 part plan for becoming a mother.  Most of all, just allowing things to happen as they happen.  Do I understand that becoming pregnant with a child involves just as much faith as it does active trying?  Yes!  I have faith it will happen when it does.  But I also know that I have no greater desire than to have and raise my children.  And that is certainly a purpose in life I can live for.

2.) Uncontrolled Desire for "Something For Nothing"

You always hear about people winning the lottery and thanking the lord above that they were able to win just by scratching a ticket, or buying a ticket.  And then you hear, more often than not, how all that money is gone within a few years time and they are back to ground zero again.

But I never really thought about the implications of this cause of failure till I actually read it.  And it does make sense.  I mean if you attain something of great value and you didn't have to work for it or sacrifice anything for it, you are going to be much less careful when you have it than if you did work really hard for it or sacrificed things for it.  Now does that mean I'll never try to win the lottery?  Of course not!  But it does make me think that by concentrating solely on getting something for nothing you are going to be waiting a long while, and sometimes never get it.  But even if you did get it, you have to make sure you treat it as if you worked extra hard for it, and not squander it.  And I mean this as more than just acquiring huge sums of money. 

Something for nothing?  It can happen.  But I know that getting something you desire for your own hard work is sometimes more rewarding because you know you achieved that yourself. And, in turn, you find that you will be less likely to squander that something.

3.) Wrong Selection of Mate in Marriage

This really shouldn't have surprised me.  But it's not something I really think about when I think about failure though.  But then, as the author pointed out, behind every great man is a more powerful woman, and vice versa.  Or the same with a man and man, or a woman and woman.  I'm not one to judge love and happiness.

But I also think that this is true for any relationships we have in life.  Who we know, who we love, their opinions matter to us in our lives.  And because of that we take upon their thoughts and ideas with great influence.  So, if someone you love doesn't have the best supportive intentions for you, it will make you think twice before making a decision.  More so than some stranger on the street.

I am very lucky to have a husband, and friends, and family, that are very supportive with me following my dreams.  And though there will always be naysayers and negative Nancy's out there, as long as you have the support structure, those people who love and support you in whatever you do, then you know that you can do anything.

4.) Intolerance

I know I've been intolerant.  When I read this cause of failure I thought about how when we normally think of very rich and successful people we think of some evil, egotistical CEO who isn't tolerant of anyone.  Or the power hungry politician, pushing down everyone that stands in their way and only thinking of their own agenda.

And it's not to say that there are not those types of people out there, that they don't exist.  And normally their tenacity does get them power.  But without tolerance, or becoming proper leaders, or burning down too many bridges, they find that they lose what they've gained and more just as quickly as they gained it.

But the reason why I say I've been intolerant with all this is because I know that many of the successful people out there are not intolerant.  That they are actually good people, open to anything because you need to be open to see all the opportunities and potential in this world.  If you are intolerant in this world, in this life, then there must be alot that you are missing because of  not being open to it.  And also, by shutting people down as well as ideas, you do burn down the bridges that might be potentially profitable for yourself and your desires.

5.) Guessing Instead of Thinking

I know I'm just as bad about this as the next person.  But one of the many things that I'm learning from this book is that if you are going to pursue something, you need to know everything you can about that something before you can even start.  Because creating a plan without the proper research or knowledge backing you up, the more likely you will fail time and time again with that plan. 

I like to research.  There are so many things I want to learn about.  And I hope my appetite for learning never dies.  But I also run into the problem of learning so much that I spread my knowledge thin.  What I really need to do is focus it on particular subjects, taking in all the knowledge I need for that particular desire or subject.  Now that I've stated by well-defined purpose.


So does knowing what causes failure stop failure?  Probably not.  But recognizing it as an ally in helping you to figure out the way your plan will work definitely helps.  And it will keep helping me to keep trying and going, even when adversity strikes.

Because a quitter never wins, and a winner never quits!