A Chance to Fail

[Prudence]

If there were no other negative consequences aside from failure itself, no worries about finances, etc...

I'd head straight for the bright lights of Broadway with my tap shoes in tow.

I do intend to run for President, though. Or something like that. Some day you'll see me on the news and say "Hey! I remember that picture of her in the Toad car!"

[blueerica]

I wanted to mention this earlier, but I was at the tail end of my workday, and figured I could wait until I got home. So I'm home.

The other afternoon, I was listening to KCRW, and on All Things Considered, I heard about this show in New York City, called "The Rejection Show." My internet is being spotty tonight, and I can't seem to get it to work hard enough to load anything from google (even this page hasn't fully loaded)

Anyhow, this thing is called the Rejection Show (maybe someone else can find it and link about it), and it allows artists the chance to show their rejected works. Unused scripts, unpublished drawings for newspapers and magazines. Rejected.

They are shown as works of art that have already failed. People go there knowing they're viewing loser works. And, in a turn of events, some even get picked up by people seeing the show.

One artist, and if I could bring up the damn page, I'd tell you his name, anyhow...

He's a well-known cartoonist, and his work is published by the New Yorker, and a number of other places, and he says that to the New Yorker, each week, he submits 10 cartoons. He feels lucky to have just 1 of those ten chosen. He's been regularly featured for 17 years. So, add that up: 17 x 52 x 9 = 7956 rejections. And I'm sure that artist had more (damn internet.. I'm gonna try looking it up again to see if it works.. Hell,, I'll be lucky if this thing posts).

So in other words: Expect rejection. Move on, and become great...

(OK I'm gonna copy & paste this mofo -- here goes nothing for posting!)

[blueerica]

Holy Crap, the internet worked!!

Hmm

[blueerica]

But not enough for me to get any other pages to work for me... hmmm...

[Kevy Baby]

We're sorry. The internet you are trying to access is busy. Please try back again later.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by blueerica

(maybe someone else can find it and link about it)

Here's one

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I wonder if that New Yorker guy held onto cartoons and reused them 6 months later.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

As Heidi said, it's ok to fail. My chance to fail is every time I wake up in the morning and surounds me constantly. For the most part it doesn't really affect me as much as it would others I think. I view failure in the same sence I do putting gas in my car. It's something that has to be done in order to get anywhere and sometimes as a cost you might not like so well.

What would be my top "failure" in the sence you say already occured. I've wanted to work in a certain "graphic" industry and the opportunity came to work for THE biggest in the world. You've all seen my jacket. I wasn't a high level person, I wasn't a huge influance in the company and I ended up failing because the industry sort of imploded, the company filed for Chapter 11 and I got laid off. It was a giant leap and I fell off the stool.

Since then, I failed with self-publishing, but I did it - no regrets. Then this new opportunity that I've been working at for the past couple of years was something I had to give up earlier last year, but the chance to reach for that similar goal came about and I went for it. Now, as of a few days ago, the company is closing up shop and the deal with the 2nd largest company (Think Dark Knight) has been canceled - it's over and I failed to make something of it to my satifaction. But, another opportunity has reared it's ugly head and I'm going to make another leap and probably I will fail again. Then maybe another path will appear and I will lunge at that.

But, "fantasy" wise, yeah, I would see me moving to New York and working my way into one of the top positions at the Big "M" and should I fail, there are a couple others in that city.

But NY is too far from Anahiem.

P.S. And no, I'm not related to Matthew Bourne...

[Boss Radio]

I have been given many, many chances to fail, and have failed brilliantly more times than I can count. But I loved every minute of it. Well, almost.

Failure can be an adventure. Or a state of mind. Or a great big safety net.

Failure keeps you sharp. And woefully aware. And there's a certain happiness and contentment that can only truly be experienced when one fails utterly and completely.

It can be bliss.

It all depends how you look at it.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

[font=Verdana][size=2]So I thought I pose this questions – what might you attempt to do, if you were given the “chance to fail” i.e. there would be no negative consequence to the act, other than you might not succeed in your "experiment?"

I am actually facing something like this in the near future. I've always wanted to do a solo lounge act, playing Billy Joel, Elton John-type piano and vocal songs. It is something that I am looking forward to but also something that intimidates the hell out of me. I've been performing in front of people since I was about 8 years old (about 30 years) but, for the most part, it has always been with a group. I've done a few weddings as a solo act but never a full night of entertaining.

The scary part is not being able to judge how it will go over with people that I don't know. My friends all tell me that I should do it and that I'll do well at it but they like me already. I'm a much better keyboard player than vocalist and that is where the fear comes in. I love to sing and some people like my voice. Still, do I take the chance, bear my soul, and risk falling flat on my face?

So, in this case, there really is no negative consequence, other than not being asked to perform again and some heckling, I suppose. Still, as much as I want to take the chance and see what comes of it. I am apprehensive. I keep telling myself that I just need a bit more practice but the fact is, I have about 50 songs ready and I know them all about as well as I ever will. It's just a matter of getting over the fear and taking the next step. I basically need a good shove.

And the thing that keeps popping into my mind is opportunities of the past that I never took advantage of because I didn't feel I was good enough. There are some that I still kick myself for not taking the risk. I don't want to be thinking "what if" one day over something that I have relatively nothing to lose. The one thing that I do know is that every time I have taken a chance, I have felt that I grew as a person. I also know that the people that succeed are generally the ones that have failed many times and bounced back. I know all of this and yet, I still haven't made the commitment to move forward.

Interesting thing, fear of failure is.