Energy

When You Crash and Burn

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Posted on June 2, 2026

If you go for a quantum leap, expect failure. That’s simply part of the process.

That’s not a signal to give up, doesn’t mean you’re chasing a stupid goal, or prove that you don’t have what it takes to reach it.

Big ambitions introduce you to new risks, and you shouldn’t expect it to be a zero-defects journey. If your quantum leap goal is as impressive as it should be, you can’t have it all figured out at the outset. You won’t have a fine-tuned plan. Maybe not much of a strategy at all. That’s the nature of the beast. Simply begin in the best way possible that you can conjure up and learn as you go.

Failure is basically a communication—honest, real-world feedback—and its purpose is to point you toward a better way. It’s not there to destroy your ambitions.

Some years ago I collaborated on a handbook with Richard Koch, the man famous for his excellent books about the 80-20 Rule. He’s solid. If you’re feeling beat up by mistakes, setbacks, and failure, I urge you to read his more recent book titled Unreasonable Success and How to Achieve It. Koch’s stories will help you keep the faith in yourself.

On page four in that book Koch writes, “Failure, whether early or late, is often the precursor to unreasonable success.” He’s talking about big failure, not small or medium disappointments, screwups, or embarrassments. But just so you’ll know, you should be prepared for all of them.

I’ve written over thirty books and handbooks that, in total, have sold more than 15,000,000 copies. But I’ve penned a few real losers that went nowhere. Some of your decisions and efforts will be losers too. Your job is to learn from them. More than that, use them to make yourself stronger.

You’re more likely to crash and burn when you’re playing big. But I think you should seriously stretch yourself. I want you to believe in your potential, take your desires seriously, and give them a chance to live. You have talents that so far have been deployed only at half-throttle. And other gifts lie dormant, just waiting for you to recruit them into powerful action. 

Why do I say that? 

Because as a psychologist, for the past fifty-plus years I’ve studied people, advised top executives in Fortune 100 companies, coached entrepreneurs, saw folks reach into themselves and find powers that surprised them. I’ve been beside those people as they achieved quantum leaps in performance.

They all ran into problems They all had struggles and, yes, I saw some of them quit. But most of them kept going, glanced off their failures, and ricocheted into unreasonable success. You can do that.

High-powered achievements always leave us with battle scars. The wounds sting, they bruise, they’re painful as hell. But that’s why it’s so sweet when you win.

Be proud of your scars. And press on.

 

[NOTE: AI was not used to write or edit this article.]