I Was The Biggest Failure I Knew


By Ange Fonce


Jo first experienced failure in 1982...

When, at the age of 17, she took the entrance exams for Oxford University and got rejected.

Undeterred she applied to other universities and eventually got accepted in to Exeter, to study Languages and The Classics.

You see, she desperately wanted a career as a novelist (much to the dismay of her parents, who worried that writing would never pay the bills). And, despite her desire for a career in writing, she did not excel in her studies - leaving with a mediocre 2:2 degree. After university Jo flitted from temp job to temp job – not achieving success with any company.

She did not mind...

She still dreamed of becoming a writer and already had an idea for the book that would, one day, bring her huge success.

And that’s when the problems started... Jo had only just begun writing her book when her life started to fall apart... The long-term relationship she was in failed and she was made redundant from her job. Then, sadly, her mother passed away from multiple sclerosis.

It was a terrible period.

So, to try to put it all behind here, she left the UK for Portugal. Her plan was simple. She would work nights at the job she would picked up and would devote her days to finishing her novel and trying to get it published. All sounded good yet things rarely go to plan:

Within two years she had fallen in love, married and had a daughter. The marriage was stormy and short-lived and in 1993 the now 28-year-old Jo moved back to the UK. Her marriage had failed. She had no job. And she was now a single mother living off benefits. Worse: she had just three chapters of her novel. Her dream of becoming an author was in tatters. Apart from her beloved daughter, she had nothing to show for the past several years of her life. No job. No money. No book.

She said later of this period:

“I never expected to mess up so badly that I would find myself in an unheated, mouse-infested flat, looking after my daughter… By every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.”

Jo could have admitted there and then that it would never happen for her as an author and got a “real job” to provide for her daughter.

And she did not give up on her dream.




Never Give Up


With nothing left to lose, Jo decided to throw herself in to the one thing she truly believed she was good at – writing.

Yet, failure was lurking around the corner and threatened to scupper Jo’s chances of success once again...

Having finally finished the manuscript for her first novel, Jo sent it off to a publisher.

It was rejected.

Undeterred she tried again, and again, and another nine times after that and each and every time she was rejected. Determined still, she gave it one last go. And this time her book was finally picked up by Bloomsbury Publishing - for a small advance of £1,500.

The book was called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

And I think we all know how the rest of Jo Rowling’s story has played out...

“Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged”. J.K Rowling

If Jo’s marriage had been a success who knows what may have happened... She may have had more children and been too busy to complete her novel. It may have been pushed to the back burner where it may have stayed forever.

Or even before that, when she was flitting between temporary jobs – what if she had done really well at one of those companies?

What if she had got promoted?

Her career could have gone down a completely different path and again, the book may never have seen the light of day.

Jo’s story shows that sometimes failure can be the best thing that happens to you. If Jo had not failed in other areas of her life, she may never have had the time, inclination or sheer determination to write her novel.

Failure should not be seen as a negative experience and a positive one that you need to go through.

It is a true test of character. 

Getting through it can make you mentally and emotionally stronger. And it can also give you a whole wealth of knowledge that will enable you to succeed next time around.





Failure Is Just Part Of Figuring Out Success


“It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you fail by default.” J.K Rowling

Yet, something may be holding you back. It may be a fear of failing and the associated costs of failure:

- Loss of time

- Loss of money

- Loss of respect.

Thing is, how do you know you are going to fail?

How do you know that you will not become a huge success?

Without giving it a try.

There are hundreds of entrepreneurs who only achieved monumental success after failing in some way or another at first. Just Google it and you will see:

Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, Walt Disney (I shudder to think what my childhood would have been like if he had given up after his first or his 300th rejection letter!) 

The list is endless and they all have one thing in common:

They were all prepared to risk failure in order to achieve success. They overcame their fears. And, more importantly, they did not let their failures deter them from achieving their goals.

Yet for every success story, there is a story of failure. That is because we are all unique, with different interests and skills - an idea that works for one person may be completely unsuitable for another. And the thing is. How do you know which one you will succeed at and which one you will fail at if you are too scared to take the risk and start giving those ideas a try?

Without risking failure, you will never know if you could actually achieve something. 

If you have been holding back from starting a new project or goal or even a relationship, do not let your fear of failing hold you back. Embrace it and overcome it. And if you have tried some ideas before and failed, do not let it deter you from continuing to build your wealth. 

Jo did not and look where she is now. 

Think about where you could be...

Have you any thoughts or comments you would like to share with me on what I have written?

Please comment.

Thank you and may you enjoy a Loving, Prosperous and Dynamic day!

Yours Sincerely



Coach Ange Fonce

Ange is an Dynamic Personal Development Coach who works with those men and women who want to personally and powerfully develop their confidence, relationships, sexing, health and wealth!

To Speak to Ange and arrange a free consultation CLICK HERE





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