“Failure is a feeling long before it becomes an actual result. It’s a vulnerability that breeds with self-doubt and then is escalated often deliberately by fear”- Michelle Obama, Becoming
I am keenly aware that there is a very thin line between success and failure. When we are on a journey, we cannot see where that line is ahead of us. We can only keep moving toward it. Should we decide to change course at any time, we often do not know how close we are to achieving what we set out to accomplish in the first place. Here are just a few thoughts as we contemplate our own version of ‘failure’ (and, yes, we all have at least one).
- Learn from it. Everything that we experience in life has a lesson to be learned as long as we are open to it. Pause for reflection and be open to the lessons shared with us.
- Make a commitment. We are on a path to somewhere. Commit to your journey and make it even better by articulating where it is that you are headed. Stick with it even when it’s challenging.
- Keep moving forward. Sometimes a course correction is just what’s needed to know that perhaps you need help in certain areas. Going it alone is not always the way to muscle toward your version of success. Learn the lessons, make the commitment, get the help that you need, and keep at it!
It takes intention, energy, and positivity on the road to success. Be open to what the journey brings because you are not in complete control of each step. Prepare yourself for the twists and turns in the road by believing in yourself and knowing that ‘failure’ is almost indefinitely a precursor to success.