All of us have experience with failure from time to time, and it is easy to feel negative when we are failing. It is uncomfortable in this space, much as it is when we are growing.
Think of a child learning to ride a bike - it hurts to fall or crash on your bike! With teens who are learning to drive right now, I can see their discomfort - and their bravery in their little test-drives. There is a little bit of apprehension or fear with little failures. But they remain excited and they persist as they push forward to obtaining their license..
-Or think of taking your first dive off of a high diving board. Oh, the sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach just moments before your toes grip the edge of the board and you think about leaving the safety of the board! Maybe your fear overwhelms you, and with a knot in your stomach, a racing heart, and sweaty palms, you retreat and back down the board....down the ladder..... shrinking in the feeling of failure. In those moments, you sulk, you hear your self-talk....maybe berating yourself. Perhaps, after you pull yourself together, you feel an urge to prove yourself! You build your resolve as your self-talk affirms your ability. You recall prior success or you consider others you know who have succeeded. You climb again and strengthen your resolve. You hold your breath and take a leap --- and then the rush of triumph sweeps over you as you emerge from the pool.
You just did something truly amazing! You did something you have never done before, and you succeeded. Now you know you CAN.
Failure is the seed of future success. Failure is pregnant with the very gifts we need to grow into our next, and better self. Just as we build muscle in the gym through muscle failure, so do we build or personal selves through failures.
As I contemplate moments of strain or failures in different situations, I can attribute some of my most cherished gifts to these moments.
Consider a few GIFTS obtained through Failure:
1) Confidence
2) Hunger and Increased Drive
3) Humility
4) Patience
5) Experience in self - control over our beliefs, self-talk and emotional state
6) Empathy
7) Courage through Faith
8) Belief
9) Experience
10) Increased sense of Persistence in our Purpose
As you embrace these gifts of failure with gratitude, you will drive fear away. You are more likely to think clearly, you will be more creative and even magnetic for the very things you desire. In this state, you are more open and able to receive the gifts that failure brings. You are more likely to emerge a bigger, better, and brighter version of yourself.
I challenge you to fail FORWARD to success, to growth, to the next level!
I believe in YOU!
Kimberlee
