Why Do We Sometimes Need a Slap in the Face?
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Often times in movies you will see someone going crazy, repeating the same phrase or just talking nonsense and suddenly someone slaps them in the face. This immediately shakes the person up and seems to calm them down and you will often hear the character then say “thanks I needed that”.
Why is this?
I do not mean getting a slap in the face literally of course but I mean in general. Why is it that we often need something major to wake us up and get us back on focus?
If you listen to any of the successful people out there, it seems that there are often moments in thier lives where something major happened. It often is some financial disaster but not always. It is these “slaps in the face” arise that suddenly the person stops, sits back and takes a look at the big picture of everything they are doing.
Here is another question for you to think about…
Is major failure (a slap in the face) necessary for achieving success?
Yesterday I talked about asking the questions “what is this all for?” and I mentioned I would explain my thinking behind it but I am going to actually hold off on that for a bit and the reason is I want to discuss the above questions first.
So whats you opinion on the question…
Is major failure (a slap in the face) necessary for achieving success?
Please do not just give a yes or no but give a reason too 
Tomorrow (for real this time) I am going to talk about this and also about answering the quesiton “what is this all for?”
Posts in this series…
- 1. What is This All For?
- 2. Do You Need a Slap in the Face?
- 3. Do You Already Assume How the Conversation Went?
- 4. Four Weeks to Answering What is This All For!
- 5. Step 1 of 4 Week Plan to Answering What is This All For
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I think sometimes a major failure is necessary to put everything into perspective. We often cling to goals and dreams that are not really practical or realistic. A major failure causes us to look at what we really. It forces us to answer the question What is this all for?
I totally agreee. A major failure tells you that you are on the wrong path and you need to be doing something differently. Without a major failure then you would be having success and therefore would not need a slap in the face. Just my 2c
I don’t think it needs to be a major failure, but yes, I think most people need something big to happen to shake them out of a rut, or to open their eyes to other ways of doing things. If you’re not the type of person who’s always pushing, looking for new things/ideas/solutions, then it can sometimes be the only way to gain some perspective or to re-frame how you’ve been viewing your life or business so far.
Yes. Look at Donald Trump, without those banks, he would’ve been no one right now.
I think that “a slap in the face” is not absolutely necessary to achieve success because you can stop, and assess your past and present situation at any time without having an external factor that forces you to do that.
Nevertheless, more often than not people do just that forced by the external circumstances that have taken them to a moment of crisis and where the only possible and/or logical thing to do is to take inventory of what you have done, so that you can reassess your life, collect yourself and reset goals that will help you to get back on track with renewed energies and a renovated sense of purpose.
I agree with you Jesus (who can argue with Jesus anyway) but now the question is why do the majority not realize this.
That was a really humorous way to begin your comment I am still laughing my a… off.
On the other hand, that is a very valid question to ask oneself and my only response to that (and I am speaking for myself) is that we are lazy by nature and we believe that something like that takes a lot of thought which for the majority of people out there is an awful lot of work therefore we end up doing it when we don’t have a choice but to do it because otherwise we will be even more miserable.
I think it is absolutely necessary for those who aren’t ambitious or don’t have the drive that comes naturally in some people.
Some people are oblivious to what is available to them because of their upbringing or surroundings. If that is all they see then how would they know any different?
By experiencing something drastic they now have a sense of urgency that wasn’t noticeable in the first place.
The sad fact is that even though someone experiences a loss or drastic event it still doesn’t change their way of thinking.
And that’s a shame!
I think getting up from failure is surely part of the road to success. However, many folks never get that slap. They are just either lucky or wise or both.
Some people have their Mommy and Daddy pay their way to college and they land a 6-figure job right outta the frat house, while others have to work their way through and attend the school or hard knocks.
Some make it, and some don’t.
Hi Mr Cow,
First, I can’t wait for tomorrow and the ANSWER!
Second, ditto on Jesus.
Third, my answer is “It shouldn’t be”. Businesses shouldn’t WAIT for a failure to reevaluate what they’re doing and see if they need to change course. And I’m sure that many businesses get that “slap in the face” and DON’T learn from it, and just keep doing what they’re doing.
This does remind me of a good saying…
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
So don’t wait for the slap, but if you get slapped, don’t get slapped again.
~ Steve, aka the trade show guru
If you’ve never hit rock-bottom, you’ll never reach your peak either. That’s the general rule, I believe. And the reason why most people don’t realize it?
Who’s not afraid of failure. Most people, me included sometimes, prefer security. Living life in mediocrity rather than taking risks.
Time is precious. Fail fast so you can succeed fast.
I agree with Andre, people are afraid of the word ‘failure’. We’ve been told from childhood that ‘failure’ isn’t an option, but the only way to learn is to….fail.
Rock bottom? For some that’s what it will take. Others will look for security at all costs, which is failing to live out of their fear.
I like to think of it as a reality check – No one wins all the time, but you’re sure to fail if you don’t at least try.
I think it entirely depends on the person. There are people out there who seem to be able to focus and know what they want, and how to get it, and they just go for it and stay focussed until they get it, and they are also not scared of trying new things and (I think they are called Type A personalities – unfortunately I am living with one!
Can be quite exhausting)
Then there is probably the majority of people who like the “comfort zone” they are in, and don’t like to venture out too much into the unknown. For those, I think, it could require a slap in the face to wake up, get out of the “rut” and get back into focus.
When I read my comment now, I think it is “c**p” (cow dung), my fingers were typing a bit faster than my brain could think…
I don’t know. Sometimes a slap in the face is like a major failure.
I guess sometimes we really need a blow and smack to get back to earth or to get into control of something. But it all depends how we take it,either positively or negatively.
Hey JC, this is great question!
It’s human nature to sit on one’s laurels and assume that you’ve made it. That’s just the time when life b*tch slaps you down and stomps on you.
I have my fair share of slaps, I even deserved some of them
but I came back stronger and more determined. There’s not one successful person who hasn’t had to overcome some adversity before they achieved stunning success and it’s normally the slap that wakes you up to the error of your ways and helps put you on the right path.
A slap in the face is definatly a wake-up call – it shows you that you have been doing something wrong and have reaped a (somewhat) violent result from it! So in order to not have it happen again you re-think your strategies and your thoughts, and make sure that the next time you do anything similar you take more precautions.
A ’slap in the face’ is sometimes whats needed to bring sometone back from the brink of destruction
I don’t think failure is necessary for success. However, I do believe it’s often a precursor for success. There are those who achieve success easily. Then there are others who fail time and ago–sometimes by their own negligence–before they are able to succeed. Sometimes, receiving a slap in the face is just what is needed for someone to get his or her act together to strive for success.
“Is major failure (a slap in the face) necessary for acheiving success?”
The answer is yes, unless you are able to understand why you get ’slap in the face’
I don’t think that someone necessarily has to have a major failure to achieve success, but rather must have the right MINDSET. I have a personal theory that I coin THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL THEORY. It states that a person born into the middle class is less likely to achieve great success as is someone that is born into poverty(the bottom of the barrel). Because the person that is born into poverty has a “no fail”, “nothing-to-lose” attitude he will take a larger risk than someone in the middle class. We must alter our mindset to achieve great success– we must believe that there is only one direction, and that is up!
As a side note, 2/3 of the world’s billionaires had a painful, poor childhood.
Some time people forget their path, they start going on the wrong one. In that case they don’t even care about their loved ones.
So, Thing slap is the best way and most of the people can come back to the right path but it should provoke his or her heart so that their heart could take the right decision.
A slap on the face is good to get the blood circulating again. Slap a blog to get the traffic flowing. Way to go. But don’t take me seriously. What we need is a kick in the butt.
[...] 2. Do You Need a Slap in the Face? [...]
Yup. A slap on the face is absolutely essential if you’re going on the wrong track. If you’re doing anything wrong, you’re going to get one, sooner or later. And I guess it will make you more wiser and enlightened. I think its essential for achieving success. This post got me into thinking deeply…
I wouldn’t say that failure is necessary for success, but more like Napoleon Hill said where people find a seed of opportunity within adversity. So possibly success stories come often from those who turn their adversities into triumphs.
I don’t know…I think this is sort of the “idea” that floats around. Because we hear so many sensational stories about how person X was in a certain situation, dead broke, no home…$5 left in their pocket and then they made it happen!
Well, there are tons of others who have beens successful without all the drama! Thing is, as humans, we love to route for the underdog, so we focus on those stories.
I don’t think it’s a requirement, but for some people, I think that’s what it takes to get them out of that comfort zone.
But then again, a slap in the face doesn’t have to be something huge! So…while I don’t think negative situations are required for success, hardship and trials are the growing pains of it.
It may not be major when compared to what others go through, but when doing something that changes your “paradigms” that goes against your “programming” then there will always be struggle.
Our society tends to lean towards that which is simple and not really that which will make us extraordinary.
So, yes and no, major failure or “smack in the face” is not a requirement, but struggle, challenge, and growing pains are part of the process.