#FailForward: 7 super successful people on why you need to fail

The biggest thing stopping people from achieving their success is fear of failure.

Not having the balls to take a risk or follow your instincts is the biggest killer in business and in life. But don’t take my word for it. This is a fact that some of the most successful people on the planet can vouch for.

Did you know that Diddy was flat out broke and expecting his first child after dropping out of college and getting fired from his first job with Andre Harrell? Now he’s the richest man in hip-hop and on his way to becoming a billionaire.

Or did you know that The Rock had just seven bucks in his pocket after failing as a pro football player after moving to Canada and getting cut in the CFL? Now he’s the biggest action movie star in the world worth hundreds of millions and counting.

And at one of Oprah Winfrey’s lowest points, she was smoking crack and told she would never make it in television. Now she’s motherfucking Oprah!

It’s when people have their backs against the wall that they’re forced to figure things out, or eat shit and learn their lesson for the next test. It’s the ability to bounce back despite taking the L and becoming even better than you were before.

This is a lesson that will continue to repeat itself until the end of time. It’s the people that have the thickest skin and can break through the fear of self-doubt and rejection to see what’s on the other side that find success.

Once you are able to adopt that fearless muscle, however, Will Smith will tell you first: you need to #FailForward, then anything is possible.

So stop being wild soft and go out there and take your greatness by the horns. No one’s going to give it to you and it’s not going to happen over night but it’s definitely worth working towards.

If you’re able to start seeing failure as the most important key to success, then you’re well on your way to becoming just like one of these seven people who let it help them get to where they are today. Without failure, nothing would be worth achieving.