Failure is your friend

“If you want success, figure out the price and pay it.”

That's one of the best pieces of advice Scott Adams ever heard.

In “How to fail at almost everything and still win big,” the Dilbert creator says trying is step one. Success, according to Adams stems from learning from your failures. 

He’s had a few:

He was a corporate misfit. 

His investments misfired. 

His inventions failed. 

His restaurants went belly up. 

He was also initially rejected as a cartoonist.

It was through  those failures, a lack of fear and embarrassment and that he learned to win. One of his biggest takeaways is that  luck comes from systems.

“Understand that goals are for losers and systems are for winners,” writes Adams. He goes on to say that  no system is bulletproof and its attributes are tailored for each of us through trial and error.

“Look for patterns in every part of life, from diet to exercise to any component of success,” continues Adams. “Try to find scientific backing for your observed patterns and use yourself as a laboratory to see if the patterns hold for you.”

Some of them won’t.

Which brings us back to failure: “Always remember that failure is your friend,” writes Adams. “It is the raw material of success. Invite it in. And don't let it leave until you pick it's pocket. That's a system.”

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