I titled my last book so badly that sales have nose-dived!
How lucky am I…….failing at things can be such a wonderful teacher!
(I am choosing to simply re-title it and some others at the same time).
I know many people who get really disappointed (and even angry) when things go every way except the way they planned…..
And yet if I only did things I was good at I’d learn nothing new!
(Like book titling…..)
Don’t get me wrong…..I’m not suggesting you hold a party and pop the champers whenever you fail at something…….but I do suggest you appreciate the gift that only comes with failure: the opportunity to learn from the event.
I was a 19 year old when I took the day off work to take my girlfriend to the zoo. I phoned in to say I had a migraine. Next day I was fired for lying. It was a blessing because it taught me not to lie.
The point of this journey we call Life is to find ourselves.
And we’ll never do that by simply sticking to what we do well.
There’s little growth there.
And usually even less movement toward greater discovery.
Making mistakes and failing (be it at marriage, business, study, work, dancing, cooking, friendships, golf, tennis, public speaking, writing poetry, learning a new language, painting portraits, getting on with our family or relatives, dealing with the neighbours or anything else) isn’t the end of the world.
So we can stop worrying that it is.
They’re all simply exercises that enable us to experiment in different ways to express our kindness, our patience, our tolerance, our love, our caring natures and our true Spirit.
We learn as we go.
And yes, we stumble…..we stumble lots of times.
The truth is most people grow because of their failures (rather than in spite of them!……).
The challenges of life allow us to find and exercise our true Spirit and our resilience.
For example…..
- Bill Gates’ first venture into business crashed and burned.
- Steve Jobs was initially fired by the Board of Apple!
- Walt Disney’s first project sent him bankrupt, then later he was fired from a newspaper job for ”lacking creativity”.
- JK Rowling found herself penniless, divorced and jobless before she ever put pen to paper.
- Abraham Lincoln lost his business and was made a bankrupt, then his ‘True Love’ died, then he had a total mental breakdown, then he was defeated for political office eight times (over 28 years) before becoming 16th President of the USA.
- Vincent Van Gogh suffered several relationship breakups, mental illness and sold just ONE painting in his entire life!
Please remember there’s nothing final or permanent about failing.
Nor need it be an indelible blot on your character.
It’s actually just an experience.
So please, simply learn from it.
Thank it.
Appreciate it.
And grow!
Today is Australia Day.
Only since 1994 has it been a national holiday.
For some it’s bitterly described as ‘Invasion Day’ because of the way many newcomers treated (& sometimes still treat) the locals.
Only when we acknowledge past wrongs and reach out with love, understanding and empathy can we all heal.
Then we will all be able to appreciate the benefits that Europeans brought to this immensely beautiful and abundant continent.
Peace be within you.
Les