One of my all time favorite quotes comes from Michael Jordan. When asked about his success, he said,
I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
Great quote, great lesson!
I remember one of the most powerful sermons I heard in my early life was delivered by Bruce Thielemann, a prominent Pittsburgh Presbyterian pastor of the late 20th century discussing the importance of failure to success, it was entitled simply "Babe Ruth Struck Out 1,330 Times." That then-MLB record's been broken many times, but like Jordan, we certainly don't remember the Babe for his monumental mountain of momentary failures to perform, do we. Thanks for reminding us all of a powerful, important lesson.
btw, reading a very fascinating, well written book by Walter Borneman appropriately titled "The Admirals" that reveals and weaves together the lives of the USN's only 5-star Admirals in its history, awarded in this order ... Wm Leahy, Ernie King, Chester Nimitz, and Bull Halsey (The author contends, that like the Army's decision to award a 5th star to a 5th general post-WWII, Spruance SHOULD have been awarded such, but because of his humble desire to stay out of the spotlight and politics of such things, was not.)
My point in this relative to our topic of "failure," is simply that it becomes apparent that NONE of these men may have been heroes in today's Navy. They all screwed up in big ways, ways that would have gotten them booted out or severely hampered in their progress. And none would have been available to become some of the greatest figures in U.S. Naval history.
Of course, many have argued that this is one of the Navy's great problems today, i.e. while overstated, that ensigns are to start out nearly perfect and improve from there. Certainly they are not allowed to remain in the line-up enroute to 1,300 K's!
One modestly disparate thought about the 4 5-stars and their intertwined careers. Of course they were all relatively of the same time ... but it is a great exposition of the importance of relationships and the "network." They constantly bumped into each other in their career paths, and those random bumps often led to unrandom contributions and assists to each other. And THAT might be at least one "argument" for those wondering about the ultimate value of a USNA beginning vs. OCS and/or ROTC. USNA is not exclusive in enabling and building one's personal net that supports and sustains careers, but said another way ... don't ignore the lifelong value of becoming a "ring-knocker!"