Coco Chanel on Success

This post was first published in 2015 and updated in 2017.

Coca Chanel had many brilliant musings and the one above is no exception.  So much has been written about success, yet so few people truly understand its virtue.  Coco Chanel was extremely successful and, thus, well-qualified to write on the subject.

When one believes that failure is not inevitable, then it makes pursuing success much easier.  If the opportunity to fail is small or even fair, one may still take the chance because the opportunity to succeed is so great.  Reaping the benefits of success is worth the risk of defeat. However, when the risk of failure increases, the chances the we will take to achieve success diminish.

Why is failure so scary?  None of us likes to fail.  It’s not a good feeling.  But one must go through failure to get to success.  I believe the more you fail, the more you succeed.  That is because the more chances that you take, the more opportunities for success and failure you have.  If you do not take chances, you will always fail.

I have taken many chances in my life.  Some have worked out and some have not, but I am proud of myself for taking them.  I do not believe in sitting on the sidelines of life.  Life is meant to be played on the gridiron, to continue the analogy, and I am not sitting out for one single down.  The times that I have been tackled have been a real let down, but the times that I have scored a touchdown have been glorious!

I do believe in what Coco Chanel said above: Most often success is achieved by those who don’t know failure is inevitable.  I believe life should be lived this way – as if there if there is no way to fail.  If we live as if we can’t fail, then we will take more chances and achieve more goals!

Check out this related post about Coco Chanel: Karl Lagerfeld’s Once and Forever

What are your thoughts on success and failure?