Failure Isn't A 'WE' Thing. Failure Is A ‘ME’ Thing!

We have all experienced it at one time or another. And if you don’t think that YOU have, then it’s time to get off your ego trip and stop at reality.

Be it work, relationships, family, goals, or even personal issues, there HAVE been times when you may have failed at whatever it was you were trying to achieve at the time. Maybe it was not making that sale; not completing something on time; breaking up with someone/leaving a marriage; not calling your parents enough (which is one of my major failures); or just trying to quit a vice like smoking (another one of my failures). Situations like those are just the tip of the iceberg that makes us face failure every single day of our lives.

Of course nobody aims to fail – making that a goal in itself (unless maybe you are a parent playing a game with your child). We don’t start our days proclaiming to the world ‘Today I’m going to fall flat on my face!’ That’s just not how we’re made. For the most part, we all like to succeed in some way or the other – whether the urge had been handed down to us from our family or we’ve had to find it ourselves.  And I’m not talking monetarily successful either. Pretty much just trying to go through life without making any mistakes.

So, how’s the best way to deal with failure? Well, coming from someone who is just a layperson on the subject, I think the easy way out would be to, of course, blame it on either someone else or on an array of other factors. Hey, we’re all good at doing that… aren’t we? However, since we are all big boys and girls, probably the best way to face our failures would be to accept, correct, and then learn from each one. Just as you might take ownership for doing something good, then it would only be right to take ownership whenever doing something bad. Don’t cha think?

But don’t fret. Keep in mind that it’s the multitude of those failures that eventually made up who we are today. For whenever we failed in the past, we learned from them so that the next time a similar project or situation came along, we knew what worked and what didn’t. And I think that it’s also a very humble, yet smart person, who is willing to accept, address, and correct their flops – and not act like they never occurred or simply blamed them on others. And yes, it’s okay to admit to not being perfect because, I mean, we ARE only human, right?

In truth, the best thing about failure is what it leads to … success! Though we might seem to remember them the most, it’s those failures that make us effective. And it’s from those epic fails that have not only given us strength, but also wisdom and drive. 

I know… deep, huh? Well, personally I’ve recently been dealing with some pretty good-sized failures, so this subject is front-and-center in my train of thought. And yes, I know tomorrow will come with its share of more unfortunate bombs, but I also understand that from those will come a multitude of successes.

And so own up to the failures around you and remember this:  No matter how much you would like to believe… failure isn’t a ‘WE’ thing. Failure is a ‘ME’ thing.