People Who Stepped Into The Unknown... And Failed

[Vigi]

We have all heard the typical story of successful people who stepped into the unknown, worked really hard and eventually managed to get great success. However, I feel like there's a lack of stories of people who stepped into the unknown and failed. I would like to get a more balanced view of this topic by hearing more stories of the later.

One good book that have mentioned examples of this is So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport. This book argues against the advice to simply follow your passion. It's against the belief that all people have a preexisting passion that can be matched with a preexisting job but instead argues that you need to build up career capital. The examples where people failed where when they took the big step without any career capital. This is obviously a massive oversimplification of what the book says so please go read the book to get a more accurate view.

People who step into the unknown usually don't get attention unless they succeed, which explains the uneven ration of success/fail stories. In the video below, a person gets attention for stepping into the unknown. The lack of updates from this person is one of the reason I got interested in this topic. So please share the stories you know.

 

[charlie2dogs]

26 minutes ago, Vigi said:

We have all heard the typical story of successful people who stepped into the unknown, worked really hard and eventually managed to get great success. However, I feel like there's a lack of stories of people who stepped into the unknown and failed. I would like to get a more balanced view of this topic by hearing more stories of the later.

One good book that have mentioned examples of this is So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport. This book argues against the advice to simply follow your passion. It's against the belief that all people have a preexisting passion that can be matched with a preexisting job but instead argues that you need to build up career capital. The examples where people failed where when they took the big step without any career capital. This is obviously a massive oversimplification of what the book says so please go read the book to get a more accurate view.

People who step into the unknown usually don't get attention unless they succeed, which explains the uneven ration of success/fail stories. In the video below, a person gets attention for stepping into the unknown. The lack of updates from this person is one of the reason I got interested in this topic. So please share the stories you know.

 

most have never stepped into the unknown, only a few, and they didnt fail, most people are gathering information, that is creating a lot of confusion in their minds and consciousness, i used to do this until i wore myself out, and figured the nonsense of other people was not going to get me where i wanted to go.   where is it that you are trying to go?

[Lindyfairy]

What exactly is "Fail"? 

Not making millions, not finding happiness?

I think taking a step into the unknown is stepping out of your comfortzone which is an automatic WIN in my opinion.

Sure people fail, they dont achieve what they set out to do, they give up or try again, and those who keep trying are the ones we hear about. The others just...give up. No real story there. 

But YAY for stepping out of your comfort zone.

[abrakamowse]

Stepping into the unknown is following your passion, but how do you know your passion if you are unconscious?

I failed many times, but I know it was because I don't know who I AM.

 

Hope this helps.

[FindingPeace]

On 25/06/2016 at 10:33 PM, Vigi said:

I feel like there's a lack of stories of people who stepped into the unknown and failed.

This whole idea of 'failing' is what is causing so much neurosis in modern society. What is 'failure'? There is only experience in life. And from experience comes knowledge and understanding.

If someone doesn't get the result that they set out to achieve, did they fail, or did they just learn how not to do it? Did they just gather knowledge that can be used to get better results next time around? To assume 'failure' is to assume that you only have one chance and now you've given up. In reality you have to keep on trying in life to obtain the results you want. To expect otherwise is to expect to much and be very naive. Sucess is a process, not a one-off activity with a single outcome. You don't 'fail' just because the first attempt did provide the anticipated outcome. That outcome is, in itself, just a part of the learning process that leads to success.

Peope only fail because they set an expectation to succeed. Reality doesn't care what your expectations are. What will happen, will happen. You have to put in your best efforts and deal with the outcomes. Be ok with those outcomes, whatever they are and to use them as a learning process for your continuing endevours.

A failure in itself can be seen as success in some cases. Especially if something valuable was learned from the process and the outcome.

Failure is just another human concept. A judgment in accordance with your self agenda. Did the outcome serve your agenda or not? Therefore was it a success or a failure? How about veiwing an outcome as...an outcome? Without the agenda-biasing. That's a novel idea for people to take on.

[Greatnestwithin]

@FindingPeace I like what you just wrote about failure. Thanks for that insight. 

May I Know from what part of uk are you? 

[charlie2dogs]

i would like to define what stepping into the unknown really is about without, assumptions, prior programing, false beliefs, speculation, other peoples ideas.  When one reaches a certain level of awakening and awareness, they begin to understand that there is something more powerful yet to experience as the human identity,  when one gets to that level, there is a desire to attain something that cannot yet be seen by the human identity but you sense it is there, because your consciousness knows, that it exist but you can't see it or grasp it.   It is like standing on the edge of a cliff in the darkness and out of your desperation at that point to know the truth and reality of yourself and life , you leap into the darkness and unknown willing to give up everything, even your life to obtain something that you yet have no understanding of.   When i made that leap it took two years to touch down. and during that time it was like i was struggling to get through a valley of fire, death, and destruction to emerge at the foot of a huge mountain, and after climbing that mountain and when the top was reached and looking over, the words of Martin Luther King's speech began to ring in my mind, free at last, free at last , thank god almighty i'm free at last.  This is what it is like in real life, real experience.  As time passed i broke away from all religion, and newageism, because i realized that the great I am of consciousness was the creator of all things and not some man made god, and that i had become that.

to become self realized you will lose your programing, your belief system and your fictitious human identity because these things cannot enter into the kingdom of the great I am .   there is a scripture that reflects this, i dont follow scripture, or promote it, it has meaning if looked at from the right place, but it says straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it, broad is the gate that leadeth to destruction and many go in thereat.  The human identities belief system is what has it imprisoned.

[Atom]

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Edited June 27, 2016 by Atom

[Vigi]

Very resourceful replies! Using the word "failure" was not a good way to express the core of the topic and I'm still unsure on how to formulate it. Taking action will always lead to more wisdom no matter what the outcome. My aim with the word "failure" was weather or not that person ended up working with something they were passionated about full time.

For instance, if a college student who studies an area which is stable in terms of job opportunities and salary, decides to quit college to pursue his/her actual passion and then a couple of years later ends up working a labour job because the passion did not generate any income. The job pays minimum wage and all of the money goes to paying off the student loans. The person has to work extra hours in order to survive and all the spare time goes to recharging and sleeping. Due to the taxing situation, the person becomes unconscious and does not take action based on the new wisdom. Instead, the person lives the rest of his/hers life totally unconsciously and lives in self created misery by the mind.

Taking a deep look at the situation above, it was not a failure since it gave wisdom and suffering. This could lead to an enlightening realization. But what I'm interested in for now is weather or not the person ended up working with what he/her love and are excited about. So it would be interesting to hear for instance hear a story like the one above and then learn what that person learned from it, continuing working with something he/her does not like.

[charlie2dogs]

2 minutes ago, Vigi said:

Very resourceful replies! Using the word "failure" was not a good way to express the core of the topic and I'm still unsure on how to formulate it. Taking action will always lead to more wisdom no matter what the outcome. My aim with the word "failure" was weather or not that person ended up working with something they were passionated about full time.

For instance, if a college student who studies an area which is stable in terms of job opportunities and salary, decides to quit college to pursue his/her actual passion and then a couple of years later ends up working a labour job because the passion did not generate any income. The job pays minimum wage and all of the money goes to paying off the student loans. The person has to work extra hours in order to survive and all the spare time goes to recharging and sleeping. Due to the taxing situation, the person becomes unconscious and does not take action based on the new wisdom. Instead, the person lives the rest of his/hers life totally unconsciously and lives in self created misery by the mind.

Taking a deep look at the situation above, it was not a failure since it gave wisdom and suffering. This could lead to an enlightening realization. But what I'm interested in for now is weather or not the person ended up working with what he/her love and are excited about. So it would be interesting to hear for instance hear a story like the one above and then learn what that person learned from it, continuing working with something he/her does not like.

action doesnt always bring wisdom, not everything learned is wisdom, some is just pure nonsense and information gathering that can lead to many consequences of actions

[charlie2dogs]

19 minutes ago, Atom said:

@charlie2dogs did you get to this place during meditation? 

What do you mean it took two years to touch down? 

atom i dont and never did what most call meditation, i only practiced being in the moment , in an aware present state of being.  as for the two years to touch down, just imagine jumping off a cliff in the dark, not knowing where you was going, what was going to happen to you,  and what the landing would be like if there was one, and imagine being in that state for two years.

[Key Elements]

People may look at failure as the opposite of success and as having an end, but no it's only a stepping stone. I rather look at it as a stepping stone toward success...

They say...

"Challenges are opportunities."

And...

"Aim for the moon, if you miss, you'll be among the stars."

Edited June 27, 2016 by Key Elements

[Atom]

@charlie2dogs im cofused.. Sounds like a coma.. Were you in a accident? 

Ive had a dream of falling in the darkness..

Edited June 27, 2016 by Atom

[charlie2dogs]

19 minutes ago, Atom said:

@charlie2dogs im cofused.. Sounds like a coma.. Were you in a accident? 

Ive had a dream of falling in the darkness..

no

[abrakamowse]

1 hour ago, Atom said:

@charlie2dogs im cofused.. Sounds like a coma.. Were you in a accident? 

Ive had a dream of falling in the darkness..

Same dream here, but I didn't have any identity. I didn't know who I was. (My false identity-ego)

[Nulik]

On 6/25/2016 at 4:33 PM, Vigi said:

We have all heard the typical story of successful people who stepped into the unknown, worked really hard and eventually managed to get great success. However, I feel like there's a lack of stories of people who stepped into the unknown and failed. I would like to get a more balanced view of this topic by hearing more stories of the later.

You can calculate this number of those who fail, it is very easy. I don't have it, but I did this math many years ago. The short answer is : about 90% of people fail.

Now , long answer:

I don't know what your domain is, but mine is business, so I measure the results by the amount of net worth. So , I found this number, of how many millionaires there were in the world, then I divided it by the number of people in the world. I got the result : 1 out of 400 people becomes millionaire. It is means 99.75% of the people fail. This is in my domain. But not everyone pursues the goal of becoming millionaire, so this number gets lower. I would estimate that successful people are only 5% of the population, however some reliable statistics are required.

[Yukise99]

Remember that guy who gave up? Neither does anybody else. 

[Patrick]

Maxwell Maltz, Psycho-Cybernetics: (paraphrasing here) You learn by moving forward, making mistakes, and correcting them. The biggest mistake is worrying so much about making a mistake, that you never move forward.

(at least in the mundane world, not necessarily to enlightenment).

[Leo Gura]

Of course you're gonna fail! Of course! It's not an "if", it's a guarantee!

Which is why life purpose is so critical.

I've failed at many many projects. You've never heard of them, and you never will.