Rating: 
Summary: Great book, simple concept
Review: Let me start by saying that this is a great book for anyone who has been knocked down in their life. Maybe if you're like me, you're a little adventurous, a little entrepreneurial, and thus you've been knocked down a few times =) The basic premise of this book is that you're gonna get knocked down once in a while if you are attempting anything worthwhile.He mentions that anything you do, you going to get results. If you don't get the results you want, you learn and change. Ok, that is a great message. But, I didn't need an entire book to figure that out. I was hoping for something more on the subject, but I felt that what I got was reiterations of the same theme for 200 pages.
Rating: 
Summary: You don't have to afraid of failure anymore
Review: Many of us dislike failures and mistakes. We will try to avoid them because we are afraid to be labeled as losers. However, this book tells us there is no perfectionist on earth, as long as you are human being, you would make mistakes. Those mistakes will guide you the way to success if you are to learn from them. The difference between average and achieving people is their perception and response to failure. This books provide us with 15 steps to failing forward. You are going to overcome adversity and maximize your potential if you follow these steps. Moreover, Maxwell gives readers a lot of real life experience examples to demonstrate how successful people response to adversity and handle it. This book is highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: decent stuff here
Review: Maxwell is a former minister and the founder of a company that offers support services to religious organizations. As such, his book's upbeat, you can do it tone may be off-putting to some. But there's some interesting stuff here and the real life examples he uses of people of have learned from failure provide some good hands-on advice. The book is organized into 15 steps that will help us make the most out of a failure. These are designed to help us 'fail forward.' Some of them include: find the benefit in every bad experience; work on the weaknesses that weaken you; change your response to failure by accepting responsibility. There's not a lot of analysis or depth to Maxwell's observations, but there's enough here in the way of examples to ground his practical observations to make this a useful motivational book.
Rating:
Summary: An Encouraging Read
Review: Subtitled - turning Mistakes Into Stepping Stones for Success- is a delightful and compelling read. Maxwell realizes that leadership involves taking risks, and taking risks will inevitably involve experiencing failure. The difference between successful leaders and the also rans, is that failure is never final for those who succeed. There is really nothing new in this book. Each of us has probably been told a hundred times that failure is never final; the only problem is that we really do not believe it. The fear of failure can be paralyzing; and once experienced, it can destroy us. That is why Maxwells approach is so effective, the takes actual case studies of men and women who experienced failure and demonstrates how they were able to turn it around into success. I would make this required reading in every Bible College and seminary. Too many pastors believe that failure is a sign that they had missed the will of God. So fearful are they of missing Gods will, that they will only move ahead if they are guaranteed of success. What the church needs is more magnificent failures in the pulpit.
Rating:
Summary: Truly Inspirational
Review: The fundamental message behind this book that inspires me the most is the fact that we as a human being should not be afraid to fail as failure is a part of life that will teach us things that wouldn't work, and thus we would eventually know things that would work well. Perseverance is one of the essential character that should be possessed by people to fail forward. I personally believe that another character called humility should come into play in order to successfully fail forward as it puts us into a balanced perspective that we are not perfect, we need others around us, and everyone of us would go through the failure phase in order to ultimately reach our personal goals.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring and Empowering
Review: This book provides a clear understanding of how to use and learn from failure to shape your life. Never before has failure been analyzed in such a concise manner. This book provides a blueprint for realizing one's potential. Truly excellent work!
Rating:
Summary: Stepping Stones for Life
Review: This is a must for every person no matter what stage of life they are in or entering into. The steps to Failing Forward offer guidance in mapping out an attitude by which one can be successful. Dr. Maxwell points out that the terms "mistake" and "success" are similar in meaning with a different attitude focus. Examples of the Stepping Stones were relevant and applicable in tune with the main theme of the book, mistakes are lessons, lessons produce learning, learning maps our direction to achieving our life goals. This book is a must for every family (recommended for parents and children), couples either thinking of getting or are married, managers and employees.
Rating:
Summary: Keeping Failure in Perspective
Review: This is an excellent book with some great insights into what it means to fail and how we should respond to the inevitable failures that will occur in our lives. I have read several of John Maxwell's books on leadership and have gained some great insights. This book has been one of the best books, by Maxwell that I have ever read. The basic thesis of the book is "the difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure." This is so true. Failures come in all difference sizes, shapes, time frames, pressures, strengths, and weights, but they do come and how we respond either makes or breaks us. Everybody, at one time or another faces failure or setbacks or loss and Maxwell provides some great ideas and insights into how we can deal with these failures. An interesting observation is made in this book - we are raised and taught to deal with all kinds of things in life - finances, business, investments, education, relations, etc., but we are not trained or educated in how to handle failure. It is as if we all think, perhaps subconsciously, that dealing with failure is an innate trait. Unfortunately, its not an innate characteristic of humanity to be able to 'deal' with failure. This is why many people are defeated by failure, whereas others manage it and push forward. The difference between the two people is in the 'learning.' Some have learned how to accept failures and turn them into stepping stones of success whereas others simply fall victim to failure and allow the failure to defeat and often times finish them. In "Failing Forward" Maxwell teaches his reader not only how to avoid failure but also how to take failure and make it a stepping stone to success. Maxwell supplies his reader with many great stories of people who were confronted with potential failure and massive attacks of failure who used these situations to actually achieve great things in their lives. "Failure is simply a price we pay for success." This book is great for those who are in leadership positions in churches, businesses, or also for "the average Joe" regardless of his/her occupation. Maxwell has a way of writing that reaches the masses. Anyone regardless of age, sex, occupation, etc. will benefit from the truths and insights of this book. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: A healthy perspective on failure.
Review: This was a valuable listen for me (I bought the audiobook version), at a time when I was really castigating myself for my (many) failures. For anyone who feels like he or she has failed or is a failure, this is a must title.
Rating:
Summary: Difference Between Failure & Success Is Not Giving UP
Review: This was an excellent book and I disagree with the review that gave him a one star in that Maxwell was just filling up white space. It's ok to take a compilation of other's people's work as long as you give them credit. It sure saves me the trouble from reading a bunch of things from other sources.
Many of the things that Maxwell wrote in Failing Forward I already do and already apply in my life, but it really doesn't hurt to be reminded of them. Sometimes in this very tough, discouraging world, it's helpful to know there are others out there that fail, yet get back up.
I loved all the stories of different people most of us have heard of that have failed many times, yet they continue to persevere, not give up...and eventually they had success. Some had success, failed miserably a number of times, and succeeded again. Others failed many, many times and finally had success. The thing each of these people had in common was they did not give up...they saw a greater dream, vision of their lives. Those stories were very motivating. And, it doesn't just end there, but it is a way of life for these people, and for myself.
I've been able to use some of the things he wrote and encourage others. The book is not long, but I think just right.
The book has 5 main sections broken up into 16 chapters:
Preface: Becoming a REAL Success
Ch. 1 - What's the main difference between people
Redefining Failure & Success
Ch. 2 - Get a New Definition of Failure & Success
Ch. 3 - If You've Failed, Are You A Failure?
Ch. 4 - You're Too Old to Cry, But It Hurts Too Much To Laugh
Ch. 5 - Find the Exit Off the Failure Freeway
Do You Mind Changing Your Mind?
Ch. 6 - No Matter What Happens To You, Failure Is An Inside Job
Ch. 7 - Is the Past Holding Your Life Hostage
Ch. 8 - Who Is This Person Making These Mistakes?
Ch. 9 - Get Over Yourself -- Everyone Else Has
Embracing Failure As A Friend
Ch. 10 - Grasp the Positive Benefits of Negative Experiences
Ch. 11 - Take a Risk -- There's No Other Way to Fail Forward
Ch. 12 - Make Failure Your Best Friend
Increasing Your Odds for Success
Ch. 13 - Avoid the Top Ten Reasons People Fail
Ch. 14 - The Little Difference Between Failure & Success Makes a Big Difference
Ch. 15 - It's What You Do After You GEt Back Up That Counts
Ch. 16 - Now You're Ready to Fail Forward
Blessings,
Doris
| 
