A Picture of Failure

If a masterpiece of art was titled "failure" what would it look like?

Would it be a picture of two cliffs and a falling person trying to jump across? Short by a mile.

Or would it be a tadpole being eaten by a snapping turtle? Failure because the tadpole never became a frog?

Maybe it would show a man or woman standing on a scale with a calender above their head.  Dates crossed off and faint numbers in the form of pounds below the day marked Tuesday. A closer look and you can see the man or woman lost a total of 10 pounds in 30 days- but then you look lower and see a journal on the desk. "15 pounds by the end of the month." Failure.

But how can that be failure?  The person clearly lost 10 pounds in a month.  That's amazing and a complete success if you ask me.

How about the kicker who misses a game winning field goal?  By inches.  The fourth game into the season. A loss.  Failure. Even with 12 games remaining..?

Maybe it's the trainer who passes on the chance to sublease a studio because he feels he can't afford it.  Days later, after the studio is already taken, his business explodes and is in dire need of a place.  Is that a picture of failure?  A week goes by and he can't find a place and loses 60% of his clientele.  Is that failure?

Failure can be painted into some amazing, beautiful, and expensive masterpieces. It can come in any shape or form but to one another the views can differ.  Someone can see a failure as a success and a success as a failure because they were just not close enough.

Why fear failure then?

What do you really have to lose?