Failure doesn't have to be fatal

Failure can become a weight or it can give you wings.

That is the message I hear every spring when I attend the Horatio Alger Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C., where 10 new members are inducted annually. I was honored to be one of them in 2004. During the short speeches given by new members to the audience, which includes more than 100 scholarship students, the message I hear over and over again is: Don’t be afraid to fail.

The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, that was founded in 1947 to honor the achievements of outstanding Americans who have succeeded despite adversity and to emphasize the importance of higher education. The association is named for Horatio Alger Jr., a 19th-century author of hundreds of stories in the “rags-to-riches” genre, extolling the importance of perseverance and hard work.

The association gives its annual award to people who exemplify its ideals. It also grants scholarships, and is one of the largest providers of need-based scholarships in the United States. All scholarships are funded by the generosity of Horatio Alger members and friends.

Among the more than 2,000 new scholarships it awards each year, the association presents its top scholarship, the National Scholarship, valued at $25,000, to more than 100 students from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. National Scholarship recipients are also given an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., where they meet association members, attend the Horatio Alger Awards Ceremony and learn about the federal government and the American free-enterprise system. Since the inception of its scholarship programs in 1984, the association has awarded more than $125 million in college scholarships to more than 25,000 young people.

Perhaps the most important lesson these young scholars learn is that failure is not fatal. They hear about pathways to success that include episodes of difficult times, the temptation to give up and the persistence to carry on. The members reinforce that failure is merely an opportunity to start over again, wiser than before.

Inspired by these real-life success stories, combined with scholarship help and an amazing ready-made network of resources, these young people have opportunities to earn college degrees and jump-start their professional aspirations. And they will have a clear understanding that failure is not the end of the road. It is potentially a new entrance ramp to the highway of life.

No one sets out to fail intentionally. Still, failure happens — sometimes because of bad luck or uncontrollable circumstances, but other times from entirely preventable causes.

In order to succeed, you’ve got to be willing to fail. Take on a difficult project or an ambitious challenge. Don’t be reckless, but don’t shy away from hard work if you want your boss or your teammates to believe in you. No risk, no reward.

The heroes in Horatio Alger’s stories demonstrate that you can’t avoid setbacks and disappointments. As Robert F. Kennedy said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”

Mackay’s Moral: Make your stumbling blocks your stepping stones.

Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times best-seller “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” He can be reached through his website, www.harveymackay.com, by emailing harvey@mackay.com or by writing him at MackayMitchell Envelope Co., 2100 Elm St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414.