This may be a little personal for a second post but it’s something that I’ve been feeling particularly strong about. A few weeks ago, I was having a heart to heart with a friend. I was feeling kind of feeling lost and just a little bit down. I began to explain why I felt frustrated and exhausted and after while, exasperated, he said, “Corie, is there anything you CAN’T do? You never fail!”

 

I was honestly shocked. I fail all the time. I move super fast and I make quick decisions and I fail. I’m probably my worst critic when it comes to my failures, often just running through my head everything I could have done differently… all the mistakes. Sometimes they sit more heavily on me than other times, but that lingering sense of failure sits with me almost all the time.

 

So here I am really and truly not understanding how he couldn’t see what I see every day. I feel like I’m running like a hamster on a wheel trying to keep everything moving and working toward my dreams. I have this general picture in my head of what my life is supposed to look like, a timeline that has it all mapped out. 

 

Then I started thinking about it. Other than the thoughts in my head, I guess I hadn’t really been sharing my failures publicly. Part of this is that I tend to just move on really quickly. And the other part is that even though part of me labels it a “failure,” I really just plow through it and use it to redirect or refocus my attention. (While drafting this post, I realized how hypocritical I was being towards myself about these so-called failures since I really don’t treat them like failures except for how I internally talk to myself. Officially beginning to work on that now…)

Growing up, I was completely adverse to failing. Often this meant that I would avoid certain things because I was afraid of failing. I would have rather missed an opportunity of success than deal with a potential failure. And then I seriously failed. It hasn’t a quick recovery (hopefully blogging will help), but it has opened up a whole new world for me. Basically, I realized I had only been living a fraction of the life I could have.

 

People notice success and often overlook failures (or they don’t even register that something is a failure). In my experience, very few people focus on the failures of others. (And, again in my experience, those that do focus on others’ failures are often the ones who don’t really get after their own lives and potential successes.) We write novels about successful people, highlighting trials and tribulations to make their success stand out more or to give reasons for why the failures pushed them forward closer to their success.

 

 

Failure is kind of inevitable, but it’s absolutely vital for the sweetness of success to truly be tasted.

 

I have a couple of “rules” about failures that I implement for myself:

 

1) Redefine failure. I make sure that I set myself up for success from the beginning. I believe that even the worst case scenario is still the right scenario.

 

2) Don’t let the fear of failure prevent you from trying. Otherwise you’ll miss the opportunities for success altogether.

 

3) Be smart about it. Just because you’ve come to terms with it being okay if you fail, still be smart and set yourself up in a way where you’re pointing towards success.

 

4) Bulldoze or maneuver. I do a quick analysis to determine whether I should completely move past it (bulldoze) or use what I learned to reposition myself (maneuver). Failures can be your guiding light on your way to success!

 

5) Focus on what you learned and don’t get hung up on the failing part. 

 

I’m not afraid to fail and I often redefine my failures into experiences. So maybe that’s what my friend was picking up on. I say, face every single opportunity head on and don’t let the fear of failure stop you from living your dreams.