Emotional level: 7

Mental level: 6

TODAY I LEARNED: Vampire bats are the only mammals in the world that live entirely on blood.

I think that we can all relate very well to a single word.

Failure.

It terrifies us because to fail at something means you didn’t get it quite right. You’ve messed up. There is no going back. So many people look at this as an end. Once you fail something, that’s it. There’s nothing else left but to pack up and go home.

But failure isn’t the end. In fact, failure is a beginning. It’s a chance to start again. If you try to look at failure with a different perspective, it’s apparent that failing something doesn’t seem so bad after all.

And it’s easy to look at failure as something so horrible because that’s what we have been raised to believe our entire lives. We have been taught, without people even realizing it, by society and those above us, that failure is horrible. Granted it doesn’t feel good at all to fail, but it gives us opportunity and it helps us learn.

Learning is the most important aspect of failure. It helps us grow. So then…why does it have such a bad rap? Personally I think it’s the negative light we shine on failure as a society. No one talks about their failures or what it takes to get to the point they’ve come to today.

With the singular view of constant success, we only see the tip of the iceberg. Most of the time, just beneath that, there are years and miles of anguish and hard work. The ups and downs on the road to success is a hard one.

Yesterday, I chose not to let failure drive me in a negative way anymore. I chose to push myself forward, gently, but surely, and remind myself that failure is here to teach, not to tear me down or make my life worse.

It’s hard to convert your perspective, believe me, I understand completely. Taking on another view isn’t something we strive to do every day, but sometimes it’s necessary. The steps I’ve been taking to ensure success have yet to produce failure, but I’m sure somewhere down the road it will and I shall try my best to see it for what it really is. A new opportunity to do something right with the new knowledge I will have.

It kind of goes back to what I always say about life. The one thing you need to remember is to keep moving forward. If you can do that, you will find a point of rest. Because life is full and ups and downs, so if you’re down, you’re bound to go up eventually.

All we can do is try each day. Try your best and work towards what you want at whatever pace you need to. Some of us rush to the finish line and others take their time. It doesn’t matter how fast you get there, because it’s not a race. It only matters that you get there. Take the time you need and remember to take care of yourself. Oh, and remember, you deserve to be happy. 😊

Blessed Be )O(