Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.
Lemon Tree – Lyrics by Peter, Paul, and Mary (Popular folk-singing group of the 1960’s)
If you lived, like I did in the era of the 60’s, you would quickly recognize these lyrics as belonging to the popular folk-singing group Peter, Paul, and Mary.
I came across this song on YouTube recently and I thought how relevant it is – in a reverse sort of way – to failure.
We all know only too well that unlike the lemon tree failure is not so pretty.
In fact it really sucks.
It hurts our heads and ruins our day and yet… and yet, I’ve come to understand that its “fruit” is so masterfully designed as a portal to higher learning that it’s now become, and in reality has always been, essential if any of us are to reach any success in our lives at all.
Mickey Rooney, the acclaimed actor whose career spans over 75 years, said: “You always pass failure on the way to success”.
I feel like I’ve passed a lot of failure in my life. So perhaps I, like a lot of folks, have a love/hate relationship with failure. I’ve come to know it well. Thirty years of trying and falling short in my efforts to bring my radical theories about human motivation and empowerment to you and have left me with no choice but to press on every day and learn to do it better.
It’s a matter of mindset.
Hasn’t your life been like this? Hasn’t it been like this for almost everyone you know?
Take a close look at it. You’ve had successes. But every one of them has undoubtedly been preceded by a failure. Some big some small but a foundation of failure is what lies beneath all achievement.
Like the roots of a fruit tree.
More power to you all.