Success with Failures
What I am about to say is going to sound extremely snotty and self-important, but for the sake of context I'm going to blurt it out anyway.
I don't fail. I mean sure... every now and then I had a less than passable grade in school and I make mistakes all the time but somehow I always manage to end in good form. I credit my successes to hard work, sheer determination, and an unreasonable amount of good luck (and possibly good karma). Generally when I find something I want to do, I complete the necessary steps to make it happen and the rest just falls into place.
But enough about how amazing I am... back to the point of this post: I don't handle failure well and, despite my best efforts to be perfect, I've actually been failing a lot recently. Don't worry, I'm not failing at life in the sort of way that puts you on the streets, out of a job and with no place to live. It's more every day small failures that I've been experiencing, most of which are due to over-analyzation and futile attempts to read minds and see into the future.
Someone who is smarter than they perhaps realize told me while I was puzzling over my shortcomings that all my successes have been in my professional life (true) and that personal lives are full of failures. I've thought about this remark a lot and I've determined two things: 1) I need to accept that like it or not, failure is inevitable; and 2) often times the recognition or admission of failure can lead to success.
The second revelation about failing is the purpose for this cryptic entry. In the past, I'd nver recognized that small life failures are just detours along the road to success; if you think you know exactly where you're going and don't listen when people tell you you're off course, you'll end up God knows where. So long as you realize you've taken a wrong turn (or listen to your trusted navigators when they tell you you have), you can get back on track.
In short, I'm taking the scenic route to success these days... but I'll get there. ;-)
posted by Meghan @ 8:38 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Meghan, this post is very oblique and I have no idea what you're talking about, but when has that ever stopped me from chiming in?
I've been thinking about failure a lot too, because like you, I'm really really not used to it, and I'm fast approaching it at my current job. I honestly do not deserve all the second chances my boss has given me.
I'm thinking that in the long run, failure isn't as bad as the anxious anticipation of it. At least I hope so.
random metaphor:
I go out to my cousins' cottage on the Chesapeake Bay usually once a summer. For years and years, I'd either refuse to swim in the water, or if I did go in, I'd run back out a second later because I assumed the little current I'd just felt against my leg was actually a sea nettle trying to sting me. The bay was full of sea nettles, and it was a semi-legitimate fear, but I love swimming, and there I was at the beach, not ever getting to do it.
Then, one time, I got stung. It hurt a lot and was not a pleasant experience, but I survived. I don't want to get stung again, but I also feel a whole lot more comfortable staying in the water now. I know what a nettle sting feels like, I know I don't like it, but I also know it's survivable, so I'm not going to let the fear of it stop me from doing something I enjoy.
Maybe it's a little too "chicken soup for the soul," but I think failure is like gettng stung. Failing and surviving gives you confidence. You become willing to take risks rather than just always make the safe choice.
anyway, it sounds like you're being levelheaded and optimistic in dealing with whatever's come up in your life. I just wanted to tell you, I think you're thinking about failure in the right sort of way. If you ever want to talk, feel free to call or email.
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