"Think of it like a lottery. In this case the obvious decision is to buy more tickets in order to get more chances to win."

I like what Seth Godin has to say on failing until you succeed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDtkBsWgzWE

And this article by Scott Adams:

"What's the best way to climb to the top? Be a failure."

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1000142405270230462610...