In Germany, more than 1000 people per day give up their independent business. This often goes hand in hand with the loss of the personal fortune and with heavy private indebtedness – not to mention the implications for the family.

In a recent meeting, a Rotarian friend very frankly spoke of his personal experience. With the help of his friends and professional advisers, he came out of his crisis in business stronger than ever and was able to make a very successful new beginning. He is now helping others to overcome similar situations and is trying to establish a “culture of the second chance”.

His talk reminded me of an article by Hendrik Willem van Loon in the December 1939 issue of The Rotarian:

No Mistake, No Discovery

The author contends, that errors, delusions, misjudgments – all, are an integral part of growth. But we must have the courage to admit them.

The following is largely quoted from his article.

Frederick the Great is usually regarded as a military leader who rushed triumphantly from one victory to the next. However, when he, in his old age, looked back upon his career, he admitted: “From 40 years in the field, I have learned that in the last analysis it is old General Luck who plays the decisive part in everything any of us try to do.” That remark should be taken with a great deal of salt. He probably should have said: “I was not a very great strategist. I made a lot of mistakes. What saved me in the end was my almost uncanny ability to recover from my errors in judgement and thereby to turn my failures into an eventual success.”

Frederick the Great Illustration by Hendrik Willem van Loon

Christopher Columbus Painting by Sebastiano del Piombo (1529-1530)

“Our nautical ancestors, who were conscious of their limitations, used to say that they sailed “by God and by guess.” We have passed beyond that point, but only to a very limited extent. […] And so we shall continue our voyage, but all of us would be a great deal better of if we could only realize that the mistakes we make are an unavoidable and integral part of our growth and that they count for nothing so long as we have the courage to confess that we have been wrong and that there is only one thing we can do. It is this: we can begin again and try to do better on the basis of our previous errors.”