Why Failure Is Fantastic

 

I am a failure.

 

Yes.  You heard right.

 

I am a failure.  A complete miserable failure.  At least sometimes.

 

I have failed at many things and I will fail again and again and again.

 

Wow!  Doesn’t that seem weird to read?

 

Our culture is so hung up on success that we forget how much value there is in failing.

 

If you have never tried, then you cannot possibly succeed.

 

And let’s face it, if there is something that you really want to do chances are that you didn’t get it right the first time or even the 20th time.

 

Have you ever tried to learn a musical instrument? Or paint with oils?  What about learning a new sport?  It takes practices to get good at something.

 

I remember when I first learned how to ski downhill.  I kept falling over and over again.  And it seemed to take a while to figure out how to move my body in space while hurtling down a snow-covered slope.

 

You are not magically born with all your talents fully formed.  There is a lot of exploration and practice involved.  And failure, too.

 

Things do not always go your way, even if you try and be super positive.

 

So in the midst of paving the way for more success in your life, why not give yourself permission to make mistakes and fail?  Heck, if you want to play around with it you could even celebrate your failures.

 

“Wow!  Look at that!  I totally bombed  _______.  I completely messed that up, but at least I tried.  So I celebrate that I gave it a shot.”

 

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it feels totally liberating to be the poster child for doing things wrong and giving yourself permission to make mistakes.  Heck, I figure I have screwed up so much that what I am about to do next, can’t be all that bad.

 

As Ellen DeGeneres says:

 

It’s failure that gives you the proper perspective on success.”

 

Once you’ve given yourself the space to screw up, then you have more room to experiment and see what works.  It takes courage to keep going, but that is where a lot of learning takes place.

 

So in the event that you think that failure is awful, just remember that failure gives you perspective.  It shows you what didn’t work.  And it can push you in a better direction if you let it.

 

Plus, failure gives you appreciation when you finally do succeed.

 

When all is said and done, I may not be a great skier, but I love being on skis in the snow while surrounded by pine trees.  And it makes me happy.  It’s not about perfection.  It’s about being in the middle of something that you know in your heart is what you want.

 

What about you?  What have you failed at?  What did it teach you?  Share below if you are feeling brave.