Perseverance Part 6
By Craig Wilson
Greetings,
Overcoming failure – this is a hard topic, but extremely important if we are to achieve our ultimate goals. First of all, we ALL fail in our lives. Many times the obstacles placed in our path overwhelm us and defeat us, other times we just don’t apply ourselves for whatever the reason is. How we respond to failure will determine our ultimate success, or lack of success.
A great example of responding positively to failure was shown by Winston Churchill and the British people during “The Battle of Britain” in 1940. In May of 1940 Churchill was named Prime Minister Just as Hitler’s forces were over running France. Britain had its entire armed forces (over 300,000) fighting against the “blitzkrieg”. As the French surrendered, the British scrambled to evacuate its troops from Dunkirk back to England. They had to leave their armaments behind in the haste of the evacuation.
1st Step – Honest Assessment
Churchill’s first important step to dealing with this defeat is a great lesson for all of us – he honestly assessed it. While the London Daily Mirror called it “The Miracle of Dunkirk,” Churchill described more accurately saying, “We have suffered a catastrophic defeat.” 1
2nd Step – Refocus on the Goal
His second important step in overcoming failure was to then refocus on the goal – defeating Hitler. He told Parliament: “We have but one aim, and one single irrevocable
purpose. We are resolved to destroy Hitler and every vestige of the Nazi regime. From this nothing will turn us – nothing. We will never parley, we will never negotiate…We will never surrender.” 1
Now the Nazis turned their attention to Britain and the battle was on. The odds were clearly against the British. An inventory of their armaments by General William Donovan showed the following:
The defenders share a total of 786 field guns, 167 anti-tank guns, and 259 inadequate tanks, enough for two divisions against the forty German divisions waiting across the Channel. There are just over a thousand pilots left in the RAF, shredded by the meat-grinding air attacks… The loss of destroyers in evacuating the troops from Dunkirk leaves the navy in no shape to stop an invasion. 1
Churchill added that the available rifle ammunition provided one bullet for every 2,000 German soldiers committed to the invasion. 1
3rd Step – Know Your Strengths and Use Them
Having assessed their weaknesses, Churchill then used a third key element in moving from failure to success. He strategized with his military leaders over how to best use their advantages. They had radar which the Germans did not. They used this to determine real attacks from feints and ignored the feints. Their fighter planes were faster than the German planes. The German planes came from a great distance and had limited fuel. Finally, the British intelligence had cracked the German’s encrypted code “Enigma” enabling them to be able to decipher their messages.
4th Step – Think Positively – Speak Positively
Finally, Churchill used his rhetoric to persuade all of Britain that they could be victorious. Here are a few:
- Never, never, never, give up.
- A man does what he must – in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures – and that is the basis of all human morality.
- Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.
- Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities… because it is the quality which guarantees all others.
- Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.
- If you are going through hell, keep going.
- Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Incidentally, Britain won.
Here are two of Churchill’s famous speeches:
If you ever get a chance, visit the War Rooms in London. There’s a nondescript entry right behind 10 Downing Street. Once inside you’ll feel the weight of how history was in the balance in those basement rooms.
1: A Man Called Intrepid, William Stevenson, 1976 The Lyons Press
By .
“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” – I like this quote because it reminds me not only of historic leaders such as Churchill – but also of timeless stories such as ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’ and ‘The Little Engine that Could’. Growing up with a stutter didn’t pose much of a problem for me at first because – as one of 5 kids – I could usually rely on one of my siblings to speak for me. Then, as I discovered I had some talent for writing, it became easier for me to express myself in writing than by speaking up. Needless to say my first experiences with public speaking – through 4-H and school – really weren’t that memorable!! Thankfully, I was raised by a very wise woman who helped me realize that the ability to speak well and correctly was worth working on and everyone has something of value to contribute. I agreed and in high school, I joined the forensic team doing events that required me to give speeches and participate in group discussion (much like debate) which were judged events and had local & state competitions. I think it was fortunate my goal at these events wasn’t necessarily to place, but to improve and gain confidence. I would practice all the time and did experience many hours of frustration, but slowly learned to speak with hardly a glimpse of a stutter. In fact, on one of the rare conditions that I actually placed in an event, I did have one hesitant moment, but made a sort of self-depracating remark that made the judge laugh and in the comments he said I handled it well. I also like the quote that mentions that ‘failure is not fatal’. Sometimes, it might seem like the end of the world – but in the end – it’s just another notch on the list of challenges we all face.
I’m glad you had the courage to participate in forensics. My daughter Krista did too and for a strongly introverted person it really changed her. She can speak confidently in front any sized group now. I’m sure you have more confidence now from all that practice and being judged too.
Keep up the attitude you have about how our failures are “just another notch in the list of challenges we all face.” That is so true.
Keep on challenging yourself to grow!
Craig