It may not seem like it at the time, but failure can be an incredible gift. It can be humbling, inspiring, educating and motivating. And either one of those might be just what you need to try again, overcome the obstacles and find success.
That’s the case in life and on the football field.
“Walking through failure and learning through failure is what college football is all about,” said James Franklin, head football coach for Penn State.
Grateful for adversity
Franklin is one of the coaches we talked to about failure and adversity as part of a partnership between Amway, USA TODAY and the American Football Coaches Association. Their full answers can be found at USATODAY.com.
Franklin said he actually looks back with gratitude at the times he lost out on coaching positions he applied for.
“At the time, I thought it was devastating,” he said. “But those situations allowed me to get to where I am today. The failures are opportunities for growth.”
Business philosophy
That philosophy is held by Amway President Doug DeVos, too. In a recent interview he called out his failures as one of his best teaching tools and necessary for growth.
“I fail every day; there’s no getting around it,” he said. “Failure is a badge of honor for me personally and, I hope, for our company. If we’re not failing, we’re not trying.”
As a company, Amway helps its Independent Business Owners overcome failure through mentorship, networking, marketing resources and more than 90 free online courses.
With that support it’s easy to turn any setback into a motivating learning opportunity.
See more inspired coaching
Want to see what coaches Mario Cristobal and Ken Niumatalolo had to say about failure and adversity? Visit USATODAY.com. And don’t forget to keep up with the Amway Coaches’ Poll throughout the season!
