Seek to Misconstrue + a
Failure: The Blog 
August 2018
- When This Executive Was Fired, He Took Charge
- Obeying The Speed Limit Has Never Been More Fun
- London Black Cabs Helped Uber Grow
- Bette Graham Created A Product To Fix Her Mistakes
- Flamin' Hot Cheetos Had An Interesting Start
July 2018
- Fear This Instead Of Failure
- Re-Releasing Songs Created Success
- A CEO's Purposeful Mistake
- The Tardy Student And The Unsolvable Problem
- Fixing Potholes Through Graffiti
June 2018
- A Surprising Mistake In The Oxford English Dictionary
- US Army Embraces Mistakes
- Blocking A Hymn
- Eddie Shore Was Truly A Tough Guy
- [Video] Elon Musk Didn't "Pivot" He Failed
May 2018
- 8 Examples of Mental Toughness Part 2
- Necessity Turned Accessory: Allen Iverson's Sleeve
- This Doctor Has Continued To Fail
- 8 Examples of Mental Toughness
- MIT Accidentally Creates New Smelting Process
April 2018
- Johnny Cash Quit Singing Lessons
- Cruise Control Came Out of Frustration
- Time Spent Gaming Pays Off In The Navy
- Rock Around The Clock Was a Commercial Failure
- Sigmund Freud Should Have Been Discouraged
March 2018
Sara Blakely Grew Up On Failure
Sara Blakely, creator of Spanx, grew up on the positives that come from failing. In fact, it led her through the entire process of creating her now famous product.
Blakely’s father was smart. He didn’t just focus on his daughter’s successes, but also would ask her “What did you fail at today?” It helped shaped the woman she would become; a prosperous and determined entrepreneur.
Photo © Flickr User david_shankbone
With her own $5,000 investment, Sara put together and promoted the first prototypes of her slimming, footless pantyhose that she knew would revolutionize the way women feel about themselves. She founded Spanx in 2000, and proceeded to market and manufacture her product:
“I took pictures of my own rear end: me in white pants with Spanx, and me in white pants without Spanx. I brought them to Kinko’s and laminated them, and I would stand at the entrance of stores to hook people in. If after 30 seconds of explaining “why you need this product” I still didn’t get them, I held up my laminated pictures and they would say, “Oh, I see . . . I’ll take two!” Talk about putting your butt on the line!”
She achieved acknowledgement when Oprah Winfrey chose Spanx as one of her “favorite things” on a show in 2000. In 2012, Forbes named her as the youngest female billionaire in the world. She still attributes her success to the way her father helped her realize at a young age that failing is not only okay, it can help you succeed!
