Failure is not an option...

Fail Until You Don’t: Fight. Grind. Repeat. – Bobby Bones – (Dey St)

“Failure is not an option” – often credited to Gene Kranz, NASA, Apollo 13 flight director; although in reality he never uttered that famous phrase.

While that phrase is and should be doctrine at places like NASA where mission critical actions can mean the difference between life and death; a lot has changed when it comes to the world view of failing. It has reached the point where failure has been elevated to being a pre-requisite for success. It has even reached a point where some business gurus are pushing folks to fail quickly and often.

I for one think this positive spin on failure is a bit of a stretch. Not that failure should be viewed as something terminal that you can never recover from, but because it is often a misnomer. While the recovering former radio host side of me finds a bit of humor in the fact that radio guy Bobby Bones is out with a self-help book, Fail Until You Don’t: Fight. Grind. Repeat, there is something to be said about the message he imparts.

While it may be packaged as a book that makes failure a bit more acceptable, what I think the real message is; is one of grit, determination and getting after it to do what it takes to be successful. I don’t see this as a book on failing, but more one of having the drive to overcome roadblocks, and being side-railed and having the drive to do whatever it takes to succeed.

Bones details more than a handful of setbacks and hardships that he has overcome in the course of his lifetime, right from his childhood and on through his pursuit of the profession of radio personality. The message here flies in the face of participation trophy generation. While failure is not an option isn’t necessarily about life or death, for Bones it’s about climbing the mountain and not letting anyone or anything stand in your way. That is a message that we certainly need to hear more of.

Sleep is Over-Rated

Bare Bones: I’m Not Lonely If You’re Reading This Book – Bobby Bones (Dey Street Books)

Full Disclosure/Confession up front – First- Addiction specialists will always tell you that the first step is admitting you have a problem; that being said, I am a recovering radio talk show host. Second – while I am a fan of country music, I had never heard of or listened to Bobby Bones before this book; which could stem from the fact that I am in recovery and don’t listen to the radio all that much anymore.

In an effort to get a handle on this guy, I dialed him in and listened a couple mornings only to discover he’s like much of radio currently has to offer…he’s just meh. So it’s safe to say that I didn’t approach his book, Bare Bones: I’m Not Lonely If You’re Reading This Book as a Boner or a Bonehead or whatever his diehard fans a dubbed.

As I delved into his story I discovered what I have run into all too often during my 25 years behind a mic; outsized ego, paired with minimal talent, wrapped in the persona of an insecure little boy. Like so many stereotypical “celebrity” bios, this guy lived a tough life, pulled himself up by his bootstraps, struggled through the radio wars and worked hard to overcome it all and become the big success he is today. Ladle in a few scoops of unhealthy personal and mental problems and it starts to sound like a freakin’ movie of the week.

Oddly enough, as I slogged through the book I found myself actually starting to like this guy! He started to hit on some things that I could related to; he wrote about asking different questions instead of the rote tired things that his guests always get asked and then actually listening to his guest’s answers. It’s what I call the “and then I murdered my wife” moment; where the host so hell bent on asking the next question on their list, completely missed the real story.

While I won’t admit to being as obsessed as using three alarms to wake up at 3 AM, I could totally relate to worrying about being late and or not getting to the station with the necessary two hours before the start of the show! But “hey you have a great job, you only work 4 hours a day, right?” I laughed out loud when he wrote about the sleep deprivation of being a morning host. Many years into my recovery, I still only manage about 4 hours a night…sleep is over-rated.

While the Boner-dudes and dude-ettes will dig this book because it adds flesh to the Bones (Yes, I am sorry…) I found myself liking it because it brought me back to the, good(?!) old days…although I’m not sure it helped my recovery much.