Fall Forward

Fail Big

fail big, that's right. Fail big, today is the begining of the rest of your life and you can be just - be very frightening.

And it's a new world out there, it's a mean world out there. You only live once, so do what you feel passionate about, passionate about.

Take chances professionally, don't be afraid to fail, there is an old IQ test [that] was nine dots and you had to draw five lines with the pencil within the nine dots without lifting the pencil.

The only way to do it was to go outside the box. So don't be afraid to go outside the box. Don't be afraid to think outside the box. Don't be afraid to fail big, to dream big, but remember, dreams without goals, are just dreams.

And they ultimately fuel disappointment.

So have dreams, but have goals, life goals, yearly goals, monthly goals, daily goals.

I try to give myself a goal every day, sometimes just to not curse somebody out. Simple goals but have goals and understand that to achieve these goals you must apply discipline and consistency, in order to achieve your goals you must apply discipline which you've already done, and consistency every day not just one Tuesday and just a two days, you have to work at it.

If I'm going to fall, I don't want to fall back on anything, except my faith. I want to fall... forward. At least I figure that way I'll see what I'm about to hit. Fall forward."

Here's what I mean:

Reggie Jackson struck out twenty-six-hundred times in his career-the most in the history of baseball.

But you don't hear about the strikeouts. People remember the home runs.

Fall forward.

Thomas Edison conducted 1,000 failed experiments. Did you know that?

I didn't either-because #1,001 was the light bulb.

Fall forward. 

Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.

Here’s my second point about failure: If you don’t fail… you’re not even trying. My wife told me this expression: “To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.”

So get out there. Give it everything you’ve got—whether it’s your time, your talent, your prayers, or your treasure. Because remember this: You’ll never see a U-haul behind a hearse.

So what are you going to do with what you have? And I’m not talking how much you have.

Now here’s my last point about failure: Sometimes it’s the best way to figure out where you’re going. Your life will never be a straight path.

To not only take risks, but to be open to life. To accept new views and to be open to new opinions. To be willing to speak at commencement at one of the country’s best universities… even though you’re scared stiff. While it may be frightening, it will also be rewarding. Because the chances you take… the people you meet… the people you love…the faith that you have—that’s what’s going to define your life.

And when you fall throughout life—and maybe even tonight after a few too many glasses of champagne—fall forward.