"There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes."

By: Richard Buckminster Fuller, US engineer and architect

I actually wanted to write about this some time ago, just that some other topics came up.

I initially wanted to start with a more popular adage: "When at first you don't succeed, try and try again", but I thought this one is slightly better.

There are many times in life when we think that things are not going according to our plans. Maybe it's not getting into a school/job of our choice, not getting the desired results for exams, or not getting the response we want from other people. What happens then? Do we conclude that this isn't going to work out, and leave it at that? Do we then complain that it's just lousy and we forget that it ever happened?

My personal philosophy is that I am the sum of ALL my experiences. There is not a single experience that I've had which didn't contribute to shaping me into... well... me! My life is like a huge jigsaw puzzle, with pieces falling into place all the time, but not falling out.

I think this is also in-line with my Christian beliefs, that God is guiding me in the path He wants me to go and that everything is for a reason.

Nothing is a waste of time, but a learning experience that maybe my time can be better spent elsewhere (like NOT attending certain meetings, but focusing on other matters :D). No client I meet has also "wasted" my time, but I've learnt how to better handle them, or whether to even continue talking with them at all. Every single scolding, teardrop, rejection and slap in the face (literal and figurative) is just as important as every smile, laugh, comfort and hug that I've had. We need to be able to appreciate the ups and downs of life to realise the importance of cherishing the positive sides, whilst learning from the negative ones. It's just like without "evil", how can we know what is "good"?

This leads me to another quote which complements the title quote:

“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny ...'”

- Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov
Source: http://www.expansiveself.org

I think many of us have heard of the story of Thomas Edison, who successfully invented the light bulb after 1000 attempts. What was it that kept him going? I strongly believe "That's funny..." was always on his mind, or in the local context, "Eh? Siao liao lah..."

It wasn't a failed experiment. As Edison himself famously says, "I have not failed, I only found 999 ways that didn't work", that each unsuccessful attempt was a build-up for the next, to eventual success. There is also a Chinese saying which goes "失败乃是成功之母", which means that failure is the mother of success.

What then is the secret to success? Determination, perseverance, recognising and analysing failures, accepting and integrating them into our lives, and trying again. That pretty much sums it up, right? Of course, it is easy to say and hard to do. Hey, no one said it was a piece of cake... Haha!

In conclusion, I'd like to quote from a favourite movie of mine:

"Just keep swimming swimming swimming..."

- Dory (Ellen DeGeneres in Pixar's "Finding Nemo")

Source: http://www.fanpop.com