Customer Reviews

Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success

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Failing Forward is one of the best stallbusting books I have ever read! It focuses on how to handle our emotions when things aren't matching up to our expectations. Dr. Maxwell identifies dozens of stalls that delay progress for those who are experiencing setbacks in their lives.

While most people see setbacks as a negative, Dr. Maxwell points out that there is an important lesson that we can use to accomplish more in the future. Building on that appropriate and valuable perspective, Failing Forward postulates 15 principles that can help you apply the lesson.

Each chapter covers a separate principle and is filled with self-diagnostic questions, as well as heart-warming examples of how people went from apparent failure towards great success.

The work is very consistent with the philosophy of Anthony Robbins. If you are a Robbins fan, you will find this book to be a good complement to Unleash the Power Within.

I strongly recommend that you read this book, and reread it the next time you are feeling sorry for yourself or have a setback. If you care about others, be prepared to loan your copy to the next person who looks morose after having a problem.

Dr. Maxwell also offers a self-diagnostic test on the book's Web site (www.failingforward.com). I took that test and found it helpful to cement my understanding of the book. I recommend that you do this as well.

Unlike most books about self-improvement that are scaled to a level of sophistication, this book should appeal both to those with lots of experience and education as well as those who have yet to develop those perspectives.

The only people who will be confused will be those who have yet to experience any significant setbacks. They will wonder what all the fuss is about. To fill in that point, progress is seldom smooth. It usually looks more like 1 or 2 steps forward, and them some backward. In essence, we are talking about a zig-zag, even when things go well. At other times, the zig-zag can be downward.

John Maxwell does a marvellous job of helping people to work through failure and move on. I am 53 years old and was recently laid off by an employer who told me that I was the best employee he had. I felt betrayed and would wake up every morning thinking of ways to get even (even though I knew I wouldn't act on them.) I was really hurt and couldn't get over it. A friend of mine suggested I read two books. The first one she recommended was this one and it really helped me to put things into perspective. Instead of moping around the house, I started looking through the papers and making calls to get job interviews. Yes, it got me going! The other book my friend recommended was Optimal Thinking: How To Be Your Best Self which helped me to understand that every situation (even a a situation I don't like) is an opportunity to be my best, and it showed me how to make the most of any situation. With books like these in the world, we never have to be stuck and we can really make the most of our lives.

Maxwell is a former minister and the founder of a company that offers support services to religious organizations. As such, his book's upbeat, you can do it tone may be off-putting to some. But there's some interesting stuff here and the real life examples he uses of people of have learned from failure provide some good hands-on advice. The book is organized into 15 steps that will help us make the most out of a failure. These are designed to help us 'fail forward.' Some of them include: find the benefit in every bad experience; work on the weaknesses that weaken you; change your response to failure by accepting responsibility. There's not a lot of analysis or depth to Maxwell's observations, but there's enough here in the way of examples to ground his practical observations to make this a useful motivational book.

This was is my first book by Maxwell, but it won't be my last. Maxwell mixes scriptures along with success principles and tells us that failure is never final. It's not how many times you fall, it's how many times you get back up and how much you learn from it.

Some people have called this a hookie-pookie superficial feel good book. I strongly disagree, except that I can do more by feeling good than by feeling lousy.

Maxwell is excellent. His words will inspire you but more than that, his words, when followed will instruct you as well.

Outstanding book. Highly recommended.

Having read several of this author's previous books I lookedforward to this one with great anticipation: it is even better thanexpected! Maxwell's thesis is that "The difference between those who are successful and those who are not lies in their perception of, and their response to, failure." He builds his case in a very convincing series of fifteen steps. At the end of each step (chapter) all of the preceding steps are relisted: I found this very helpful!

No matter what your age, sex or occupation, this book will open your eyes. Get it!

Excellent book for young adults as well as old adults! Tremendous advice for all regarding how we all have to learn how to "learn from our mistakes" and "failures" before we can truly succeed. I have had the opportunity to hear Dr. Maxwell speak and his book is just as exciting and thought provoking!

The idea behind this book is very original and relevant. We all make mistakes and the exploration of how to learn from those and improve ourselves is a noble task. Maxwell begins well with insightful thoughts on what failure is and is not, how success is born out of failure and how to reframe our perception of our failures. Then the book quickly turns to largely extraneous stories and weak supporting points. The book drags on in this vein for some time. It is not until near the end that things pick back up again. The book ends on a strong note, with practical suggestions of how to "fail forward." This book is worth reading, though be prepared to do some skimming in the middle sections.

After a number of recent "failures," I found comfort in John Maxwell's Failing Forward. With fifteen simple steps, Maxwell effectively demonstrates how one can overcome failure and find real success . . . by embracing failure. He shows the reader how there is a bigger picture, and that one must learn from failure. He also teaches that one must de-personalize failure. That can be hard at times, but Maxwell explains that it can be done. Now that I've read this book, I feel more confident in striving to reach my goals . . . even if that means that I encounter failures along the way.

I have read a few of John Maxwell's books about leadership and found them all to be insightful. In fact, he is usually one of the first authors I recommend to anyone looking for a book about leadership. I particularly enjoyed this book because it brings a somewhat different perspective to failure - a practical one.

We all have heard the cliches about "staying the course", and "not giving up", but this book adds layers of details about failure that you will probably not find in other books. Maxwell goes step-by-step into the numerous facets that can determine the differenc between success and failure. Having finished the book, I am more inspired to get busy, and make things happen - even if it means failing forward a few times.

Also, I especially liked the fact that John Maxwell includes numerous stories about those who have failed (usually numerous times) before achieving their goals. The stories help illustrate the points he makes throughout the book, and prove that it takes determination, effort, hard work, and sacrifice to get through the obstacles that you will face while chasing your dreams.

I highly recomend this book to anyone interested in learning practical strategies for achieving your goals and dreams. The exercises at the end of each chapter will help put Maxwell's concepts into action for your own life. Good luck.

It has been a truly inspiring and fascinating experience reading this book. I would say this book is more about how to approach life. What came out of this book for me was Failure was only in the mind. Success for the most part is always hard fought. Being dedicated to one's cause/dreams even in times of failure or when nobody believes in you is the true strength of a person. I hope I can hear the author in person some day !