Failure is an option. A perfectly valid one.
Doing nothing is also an option and so is staying so completely stagnant you end up bored to tears with your own self.
In fact, I would say that these are the easiest ways to live your life. And a great deal of people choose this easier route.
Shocked?
Why? Failing is sooooo easy! Sheesh I do it all the freakin time. Mind you I’ve yet to stay down. I guess I’m missing the easy path?
Now success…that sucker is hard!
Ya, success is a really tough task master. You’ve got to really work at that you know?
There is a high price for success if you really stop to think about it. You have to struggle through many failures instead of just giving up and saying ‘at least I tried’. You pay for success with dedication and working your butt off. Often it requires real sacrifice in the form of time and energy.
Gosh, you are going to have to use a ton of willpower and learn loads of new things if you want to be successful. You’re going to have to mind your mindset and watch that self esteem. You are most definitely going to have to face many of your own fears and look them dead in the eyes. Courage must be dug up from the depths of your soul to feed your determination.
Why do we do all this when staying stuck, failing and falling into a rut is so much easier?
Passion. It pulls us, it pushes us and it whispers in our ear when we sleep creating big, beautiful dreams that must be answered.
Great leaders, successful winners are not born. They just heed the call. They understand that they must grow as a person if they want to improve they rest of their life be it career, family or whatever. Then they sweat, toil and then reap rewards.
They don’t give up easily and they listen to the divine whispers that tell them they are here for a purpose.
What are you listening to?
This post had be reflecting on friends I know who seem to “settle” in the way you describe. They fail and don’t try harder, they stick with their job because it’s comfortable even if they aren’t passionate about it. They live life how they think it’s supposed to be lived — by listening to everyone else. So I SO know what you mean when you describe those first few options.
It really is so tempting to just live the comfortable life. It means we may not embarrass ourself or experience discomfort or tears or worse, but it also means we don’t get the other extreme of euphoria! Thanks for the encouragement here, Bonnie!
If you could see me right now, you would see me standing up hastily, jumping up and down, and giving you a standing… while jumping(don’t judge me) 😀 ovation!
Bonnie that was truly phenomenal! On top of that I personally needed that swift, gentle, and at time simply hilarious kick, in the keaster! (Not totally sure that’s the correct spelling… but I’m sure you get the point)
Today, was one of those days where I just pretty much spent it writing. It wasn’t a bad day, or anything like that; it was one of those… ‘at least I tried days’.
However, I’m reminded of a quote Tim sent me today that reads, “It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.” by John Steinbeck.
What wasn’t done today, certainly better watch out tomorrow! I’m coming after it with full force!! 😉
Thanks for the encouraging post, my friend. 🙂
So glad you are jumping around Deeone, sounds like fun! You have such a great partner in Tim, sounds to me like he knows how to encourage you just when you need it most. That is a fabulous quote and a fabulous bit of advice.
Not every day can be set on fire…sometimes the fires smoulders a bit and that’s okay. It helps us appreciate those days when we burn brightly enough to set the sun to shame.
🙂
Hmm. I left a comment here and it doesn’t show….So, if it’s just in the queue, then feel free to kill this one!
Failure is NOT an option- it’s a possibility. The second you consider it an option, then you are no longer working at your best. And, yes, you can still fail even if it IS your best. But, that NEVER makes failure an option. We work and plan to assure that we don’t fail- but we may miss something, the world can change in the blink of an eye- and we do not make our mark. So, we study the issue and redouble our efforts and then INSURE our success.
Nope, no comment in the queue Roy. Must have been a hiccup somewhere.
I see where you are going with your thought process here. It’s about mindset and refusing to look at failure as an option. But the truth is, it can be. Some people choose behaviours and actions that set them on a path to certain failure. Heck, some folks give up before they really even try. This is choice…and choosing to take the super easy road.
I’m so glad you pointed out the fact that we do not have to think like that. Insisting on having a the mind of a winner is definitely the way to go!
I agree that failure is definitely a possible outcome. For me, I like to try a lot of new things. I find that I am good at some, not so good at others, and absolutely terrible at some! I try to put most of my energy into things that I find rewarding and that are very important to me, like parenting, research, blogging, teaching and mentoring. But even within those areas, there are definitely some things that I do well and some things I don’t do so well! I think that you have to keep your identity intact when you fail at something. Everyone is good at something. You just have to figure out what it is.
I most assuredly share your sentiments, Kristen!
Even those who are experts in longstanding in their fields, there’s always room for learning and growth. 🙂
I like to say …
“Keep failing forward and strive to better your best!”
I “listen” to God and that little parrot that sits on my shoulder … a.k.a my conscience. 😉
No one likes to fail at anything in life but without failure, it’s not possible to grow.
I trust God has mapped out a journey for me — complete with lots of failures along the way.
Failures can be blessings and gifts. 🙂
It goes back to choices and I have been reading a lot about that lately. Your efforts, no matter how big or small, can be your own success. Emotionally or physically success comes in many forms. But I like your name for it Bonnie … success is a tough task master! That says it all right there.
Bonnie great idea to bring this up. We have gotten so programmed to avoid failure but how else do we learn?
We need to try things and even when things fail, we can learn.
Failure is an option but what some people do is to enter into a task thinking that failure might be the only option.
We fall, and the best are those who gather the courage and makes you dust that off and rise back again.
But yes, we should be able to accept that we can fail.
A very good point Hajra. Your Mindset is the key to so much of your success or failure in life. Imagine if you didn’t know you could fail! lol
I listen to the validations I receive to not only stay on the path I’m on, but I am on the right path.
This seems to be the week of reading and writing about making choices. It is a choice to wake up each day and do the work I’m passionate about. If I made the opposite choice, I’d vanish into a hole I don’t want to think about.
Good thought provoker 😉
Taking time to listen to your ‘gut’ and the divine is what so many miss out on PeggyLee. And then we get confused and flounder don’t we? Thanks for that comment!