As many of you begin your New Year's resolutions, I urge you to consider remembering this sentence:
Failure is awesome.
What?
Failure is awesome. Or, at least, it can be if you make it awesome.
That's one of my mantras from 2019. Not so much a resolution, but a mindset I'm officially embracing from this point on.
Everyone fears failure. They fear what others think of them, and how failure makes them feel pain.
Embrace it. That's what I say. Why? Here's the 3 reason:
First of all if you failed, you at least gave it a try… even if only for a second. That’s more than many people can say.
When you fail, you learn. Or at least, you should. Learning who YOU are should always be your goal, because no one knows you. Even you probably don’t know you enough, which is one of our biggest struggle as Americans. This holds you back. Failure, and learning from it, teaches you about who you really are. Accept it, embrace it, and use it. Don't run from it, don't make excuses. Failure teaches you what to do, or not do. Failure teaches you your actual strengths and weaknesses.
Failing never has to be an ending. Now, it can be. Maybe the thing you tried really stunk LOL. BUT… maybe you liked it, just failed. Don’t let your ego, others' opinions, or social pressures stop you from trying again. You might fail again, and you have to consider that maybe the thing you’re trying, or believe in, is not right. But you will always wonder if you don’t keep trying. Don't wonder, do it. If you fail, and if you find yourself in the wrong, own it. Be humble. Accept it, and move on to the next. It never has to be an ending. Failure is merely a new beginning.
Some of you are reading this rolling your eyes. That's fine. I also used to roll my eyes about stuff like this. Today I have learned Acceptance. I'm not perfect at it, and fail at it all the time. But I am growing more and more by accepting good advice, accepting how people are, and most importantly accepting how I am and what do not only well, but more importantly, what I do not so well. I keep trying, and will fail again, but I continue to learn from it, and it's made a HUGE, POSITIVE difference in my life... and in the life of my wife and child.
Failure is awesome if you make it awesome. So as you begin that New Year's Resolution, remember that. Good luck, and never stop trying.
Cover photo from Getty Images