Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success [Paperback]

John C. Maxwell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The author of 24 books on maximizing personal and leadership potential, John C. Maxwell believes "the difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure." In Failing Forward, he offers inspirational advice for turning the difficulties that inevitably arise in life into stepping stones that help you reach the top. Noting that star performers are often those who aggressively push forward after encountering adversity, Maxwell shows how a variety of well-known and not-so-well-known people have forged ahead despite obstacles that could have derailed them. They include: Mary Kay Ash, who founded her cosmetics firm against enormous odds when the direct-sales company she toiled in for 25 years resisted her continued corporate climb; Truett Cathy, who lost two brothers (and business partners) in an airplane crash and experienced his own serious medical problems before establishing the Chick-fil-A fast-food chain; Greg Horn, who reopened his Kentucky grocery store just 21 days after it suffered $1 million in flood damage; and Beck Weathers, who lost his nose, half of one arm, and the fingers on his other in the infamous 1996 Into Thin Air Mt. Everest tragedy, but now takes a positive message of survival and conquest to audiences around the world. --Howard Rothman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

The major difference between achieving people and average people is their perception of and response to failure. John C. Maxwell covers the top reasons people fail and shows how to master fear instead of being mastered by it. Listeners will discover that positive benefits can accompany negative experiences-if you have the right attitude. Chock full of action suggestions and real-life stories, Failing Forward will help men and women move beyond mistakes to fulfill their potential and achieve success.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (April 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785288570
• ISBN-13: 978-0785288572
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #12,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

  #11 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian Living > Business
  #11 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > Maxwell, John C.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Use Setbacks to Overcome Your Stalled Thinking, April 25, 2000

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 97,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success (Hardcover)

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.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important nook about an important life issue, November 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success (Hardcover)

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.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeping Failure in Perspective, September 26, 2002

By	T. B. Vick "T.B.V." (The Lone Star State) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book with some great insights into what it means to fail and how we should respond to the inevitable failures that will occur in our lives. I have read several of John Maxwell's books on leadership and have gained some great insights. This book has been one of the best books, by Maxwell that I have ever read. The basic thesis of the book is "the difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure." This is so true. Failures come in all difference sizes, shapes, time frames, pressures, strengths, and weights, but they do come and how we respond either makes or breaks us. Everybody, at one time or another faces failure or setbacks or loss and Maxwell provides some great ideas and insights into how we can deal with these failures.

An interesting observation is made in this book - we are raised and taught to deal with all kinds of things in life - finances, business, investments, education, relations, etc., but we are not trained or educated in how to handle failure. It is as if we all think, perhaps subconsciously, that dealing with failure is an innate trait. Unfortunately, its not an innate characteristic of humanity to be able to 'deal' with failure. This is why many people are defeated by failure, whereas others manage it and push forward. The difference between the two people is in the 'learning.' Some have learned how to accept failures and turn them into stepping stones of success whereas others simply fall victim to failure and allow the failure to defeat and often times finish them.

In "Failing Forward" Maxwell teaches his reader not only how to avoid failure but also how to take failure and make it a stepping stone to success. Maxwell supplies his reader with many great stories of people who were confronted with potential failure and massive attacks of failure who used these situations to actually achieve great things in their lives. "Failure is simply a price we pay for success."

This book is great for those who are in leadership positions in churches, businesses, or also for "the average Joe" regardless of his/her occupation. Maxwell has a way of writing that reaches the masses. Anyone regardless of age, sex, occupation, etc. will benefit from the truths and insights of this book. I highly recommend this book!