It's Okay to Fail

There are many of us who judge people based on their immediate success and failure. Whether it be graduating from college or getting that amazing job with a six-figure pay, we tend to have high standards for other people and for ourselves. It is a cultural belief that if we have failed, we must have lacked discipline and fell short of applying ourselves enough. We may feel this even when we have worked tirelessly and cried to the heavens for help. Our perception may even turn pessimistic due to these events and feelings of failure. I know I have. My friends, it’s okay to feel discouraged that something didn’t work out as you had planned. It’s okay to be disappointed. And it’s OKAY to fail. It seems that our culture as a whole perceives failure as a bad omen for our future. However, we really should view it as a stepping stone to success! Failure is not deplorable. It is a teaching and character development tool which guides you down a greater path than you had considered before.

Walt Disney for instance, had many great failures in his life including bankruptcy and relinquishing the legal rights to his first popular animated creation, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Due to these failures and eventual success, Walt Disney has said, ““It is good to have a failure while you’re young because it teaches you so much. For one thing it makes you aware that such a thing can happen to anybody, and once you’ve lived through the worst, you’re never quite as vulnerable afterward.” My friends, we need to remember Walt’s words, “Such a thing can happen to ANYBODY,” and “It teaches you so much.” Failure happens to everybody. We have all felt the sting of being rejected and/or not accomplishing something. Therefore, don’t be hard on yourself when you do fail.

Allow yourself to be disappointed, take time to learn from the situation and then move forward knowing you have great things ahead. This failure has no influence on your worth nor your ability to succeed in the future. You CAN and DO achieve great things! There are little successes you achieve every day. Did you do your homework? Did you finally get that starter job? Did you practice the piano? As you recognize these things, you will soon realize that everything you do to apply yourself guides you down the road to success. And this includes your failures. So, get back up and continue to do your best. And as always, be kind to yourself and know that you can do anything!