Seek to Misconstrue + a
Failure: The Blog 
February 2012
- Unfinished, But Inhabited
- The Success of Failure, via CNN
- Einstein Actually Had Excellent Grades
- The Physics of Discarded Paper
- The Power of Failing
January 2012
- Offensive Advertising, Increased Sales?
- I Sold Out For Millions, Then Worked At McDonald's
- Steve Jobs on Failure
- The Famous Western Failure
- Thank Goodness for Drug Addicts
December 2011
- It's a Wonderful Failure
- Stadium Destroyed, Reborn
- Failure to Trust the Astronauts
- Failure and the Baggy Pants Tradition
- Failure at The Happiest Place on Earth
- Saving What Was Lost
- FailureBank: A Social Learning Utility
November 2011
- A Thanksgiving Failure
- Harriet Tubman's Clever Lie
- The Failures of Lemieux
- Failed to Return a Text
- Admitting Failure
- A Leaders Job: Support Failure
October 2011
The Famous Western Failure
No artist is more associated with the American West than Frederic Remington. But for much of his life, he was a screwup.
One of the many biographies of Remington explains:
As a young adult Remington tried many different avenues of interest. He tried college, and dropped out in 1880 when his father died of an abrupt illness. Then he ventured out into the business world, but most of these government and business endeavors only lasted a few months.
In the summer of 1879 he met and began wooing Eva Adele Caten, and in the fall of 1884 they were married. The couple tried the wearying Western frontier life for a time but quickly opted to move to the city of Brooklyn, New York. Due to some bad dealings in business and difficulties in life, she left and returned to her father’s home.
So let’s review:
- Went to college, dropped out.
- Took several jobs, but could not hold them.
- Got married, went out west, but they didn’t like it
- After bad business dealings, his wife left him.
What happened next? The biography literally says:
Remington then went and wandered in the desert for several weeks, a kind of purging of the soul. After which, he returned to claim his wife and all his rightful responsibilities.
His first sculpture is now world famous. It’s called The Bronco Buster:
How did Remington go from being a loser to an American icon? Once again, we see that failure is the secret to success. Only though repeated loss can we see life clearly. Remington had to wander around in life (and then in the desert) to find his way.
Learn more in Failure: The Secret to Success, available in e-book and paperback!
