Publication date December 30, 2022

For James Cameron "Failure is an option": Is that his secret to success

No one likes to fail, well I certainly do not like failing. But I also hear a lot of motivational quotes that deal with failure. My personal favorite is “If you have never failed, you’ve never tried anything new” by Albert Einstein but still I am a person who would rather do the same thing again and again and pass than try something new and fail. But there is nothing more fun than taking that first leap ever and I know many of you like me stop yourselves because of the fear of failing. But James Cameron might disagree with us. Because for James Cameron “failure is an option”. James Cameron has given us many masterpieces over the years like Titanic, Aliens, Terminator, and Avatar. I personally love how he brings out deep human emotions even in sci-fi films.

Source: TED

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Like me, if you also have trouble dealing with your failures then you should definitely check out the inspiring Ted Talk where James Cameron goes deep into what motivated and fueled him as a child that led to him making so many masterpieces. It felt like the maestro himself was giving us all a sneak peek behind the curtain. But what kept me glued was listening to his tribulations as a filmmaker. I always loved how creative his movies are and I was fascinated to know his thought process.

James Cameron explained how his curiosity was the reason he came up with so many amazing films. He said “I think number one is curiosity. It’s the most powerful thing you own. Imagination is a force that can actually manifest a reality. And the respect of your team is more important than all the laurels in the world”. I believe what separates James Cameron from the rest of the lot is he acts upon his curiosities. A lot of us do not act upon our curiosities, I know I don’t because I fear the outcome but James Cameron doesn’t limit himself based on the fear of outcomes.

James Cameron is a huge advocate for taking risks. He said whenever any young filmmaker asks for advice he says “Don’t put limitations on yourself. Other people will do that for you - don’t do it to yourself, don’t bet against yourself, and take risks. I think that is where there are many faults, and I agree with James that one cannot realize their true potential without taking risks. He further went on to say how he disagrees with NASA’s phrase “Failure is not an option”. He goes on to add that failure has to be an option or there will never be any innovation. And frankly, he is absolutely right.

So if you haven't checked out James Cameron’s Ted Talk yet, you should definitely check it out and comment below with your thoughts.

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