Disco Inferno and The Right Kind of Failure

The are two types of failure. The first kind is terminal. It’s the type of failure that marks the end of a thing: over, done, and dead. It’s the type of failure which causes the story to end and the credits to roll. This is the wrong kind of failure, especially when you are pursuing the right kind of goal. The second type of failure is initial failure; it marks the beginning of a thing. This type failure spawns the inspiration, the goal, and the ambition to try again.

Initial failure is Edison’s carbonized cotton thread. The first of 10,000 failures that preceded the invention of the light bulb. Initial failure is Walt’s Laugh-O-Gram Studios which went bankrupt before he founded Disney. Initial failure is Spielberg’s rejection letter from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts not once, but twice before producing some of the most iconic films in the history of cinema. Initial failure marks the beginning of a journey that is so much sweeter because it is a story of an overcomer.

Disco inferno is a latin phrase which roughly means, learning through hell. It is a description of the suffering which so often precedes understanding. Failure always produces suffering; it always feels like hell. It is wrought with disappointment, self-doubt, and anger. However, you get to choose what type failure becomes.

When you embrace failure and make it your own, you create the opportunity to overcome. Failure can be a great motivator when you see it as the beginning of your story instead of the end. Interpret your own experiences with a wider lens and see that there is much more to come. Your failure is not the terminalis of your journey, instead it is the initialis. Don’t give in to the negative feelings that failure can bring. Instead, understand the important roll that failure can play as the inspiration to win.

Remember this: your story doesn’t end with you getting knocked down, it begins with you getting up. Embrace the right kind of failure and you will succeed.