Embracing Failure in the Pursuit of Success
In the grand theater of Major League Baseball, a batting average of .250 is par for the course, while the lofty .400 club remains an exclusive enclave for the most extraordinary of players. A batting average of .500, however, is the stuff of myth—no player has ever reached such heights. But what do these numbers truly signify?
The math is simple: out of every 1,000 at-bats, a player with a .250 average has managed to hit safely just 250 times. This means they’ve failed 750 times, or three out of every four attempts. Even legends like Ed Delahanty, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, and Oscar Charleston—titans in the annals of baseball history—failed at least three out of every five times they stepped up to the plate. These are the best players the game has ever seen, yet their careers were defined by a relentless struggle with failure.
Why bring up baseball in this context? Because it’s not really about baseball. It’s about failure—a ubiquitous part of life that society often teaches us to fear and avoid. Yet, as the batting averages of MLB greats illustrate, failure is not just common; it’s integral to success. The mantra from the Apollo 13 mission, “Failure is not an option,” may make for compelling cinema, but reality paints a different picture. In the real world, failure is not only an option but a frequent occurrence.
This drawing has been rejected from at least 10 Art shows, now on display at 100 Kellog Lane in London ON, as finalist in the prestigious Art Comp.
Just last week, I faced rejection from three different art projects: an exhibition, a residency program in Ontario, and a research initiative at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Then came a glimmer of hope—an email congratulating me on being longlisted for an art prize in London. A .250 average in real-time. In fact, my own acceptance rate hovers around .216—slightly more than one in five submissions.
When disappointment looms and the temptation to quit grows strong, I remind myself of my average. I pick up my proverbial bat and get back to work, knowing that each effort, each swing, is a step towards maintaining and perhaps even improving my personal average. Failure, far from being a dead end, is merely part of the journey toward success.
Carlos Fentanes 
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