Moment-to-Moment Optimism

By Dr. Russ

Today is February 2nd, the exact midpoint between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.  It was reported that the ground hog Punxsutawney Phil headed back to his hole after seeing his shadow for the 100th time since 1887; oh well, six more weeks of winter. 

For me the significance of Ground Hog Day has nothing to do with winter and a ground hog. The day is significant because of the movie by that title starring Bill Murray in role of T.V. weatherman, Phil Conners, reporting on the event.  Murray gets stuck in what appears to be a never ending repeat of the day February 2, until he figures out how to get life “right.”  

I refer to this phenomenon as a “do-over” day.  Every failure in life is an opportunity for a “do-over.”  What do we mean by a “do-over” day?  Can we haul that ground hog out of his hole and see if he sees his shadow again?  Not exactly.  To do that would be a little like flipping a coin until it came up heads; not much of a challenge. A “do-over” requires effort and risking one’s ego against the possibility of another failure. A “do over-er” is someone who strives to make progress, no matter what; someone who expects failure to be part of the process for growth and improvement.

Here are some of my favorite excerpts from one of my cherished "little books:" Try Again, Fail Again, Fail Better by Herter Studio (Running Press, Philadelphia).

Ten Great Failure Quotes

•    Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. ~ Robert F. Kennedy
•    He who has ever failed somewhere, that man cannot be great.  Failure is the true test of greatness.  And if it be said, that continual success is proof that a man wisely knows his powers – it is only to added, that, in that case, he knows them to be small. ~ Herman Melville
•    Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.~ Winston Churchill
•    Its not that I’m so smart, just that I stay with problems longer. ~ Albert Einstein
•    My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with you failure. ~ Abraham Lincoln
•    To be an artist is to fail, as no other dare fail . . . ~ Samuel Beckett
•    Failure seldom stops you.  What stops you is the fear of failure. ~ Jack Lemon
•    Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat. ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
•    There is no failure. Only feedback. ~ Robert Allen
•    I have not failed.  I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. ~ Thomas Edison

Eight Great Lifetime of Failure Stories

•    “Walt Disney went bankrupt. Several times.” (p.4)
•    In 1901 the Wright brothers who after failing in the launch of a glider predicted that man would not fly in their lifetime kept working. In 1903, after two failed attempts and a minor crash, Orville piloted the first successful powered flight in history for an amazing 12 seconds. (p.8)
•    In his 1933 screen test, Fred Astaire was told he couldn’t act or sing and could only dance a little. (p. 16)
•    “Babe Ruth struck out 1330 times during twenty two seasons of play.” (p.22)
•    “Vincent Van Gogh created over 800 paintings in his lifetime.  He sold only one.” (p.28)
•    British writer John Creasey accumulated 743 rejection slips on his way to publishing 562 books in 5000 different editions (p.30). Jack London received hundreds of rejections before his first story was accepted for publication (p.60). After 42 rejections Samuel  Beckett published his first novel (p. 64).
•    Elvis Presley, fired after one Grand ole Opry performance, was told “You ain’t goin’ nowhere son. You ought to go back to driving a truck.” (p.34)
•    Abraham Lincoln finally elected to congress on his 3rd try was not reelected; then failed in bids for the Senate and Vice President before being elected the sixteenth President of the United States (p. 46).

Hopefully, these quotes and stories will give you some insight and inspiration about how to live life as one continual “do-over” opportunity.

BECOME AN OPTIMISTIC “DO OVER-er!!!”