The Brighter Side of Failure

　　We are taught that failure should always be avoided. It casts a dark shadow that can suffocate our spirit. After all, winning is better than losing right?
　　When we experience failure, our sense of self-worth is damaged and our confidence takes a debilitating hit. Whether failure occurs in a marriage, in your career, or perhaps with your finances, it is discouraging and can keep us from taking advantage of the next opportunity when it occurs.
　　However, there is a brighter side of failure - a side that can be nurturing and inspirational. Failure can be a catalyst for personal growth and can lead us to achievement when we pause long enough to hear its message.
　　To begin the process of embracing the brighter side of failure and allowing its sometimes harsh, but important life lessons to be revealed, consider these strategies:
　　* Be okay with not being perfect
　　Accepting failure can be difficult because it goes against what we think to be true. We believe we have to be perfect in everything we do. But there is value in accepting our imperfection because by doing so, we are allowing our humanness to exist, and perhaps thrive.
　　I became less anxious and happier when I realized it was impossible to be perfect all of the time. This revelation has been freeing and it has lead to new ways of thinking and seeing the world. I’m more comfortable in my own skin now that the pressure of being perfect has been lifted.
　　No longer do I dread failure. I welcome it because it’s a sign my heart is still alive and eager to try new things.
　　If you are hesitant to acknowledge your imperfection then do something you have been reluctant to try, but do it anyway. If you fail, take a step back and consider what you have learned from the experience and then realize being imperfect has not killed you. You are really okay after all.
　　* Keep a journal
　　Our lives are full of activity. I believe we do more in one day than our grandparents did in a week. Because of the increase in our activity there is a corresponding risk we will endure more failures.
　　Keeping a journal and writing about this activity, especially the resulting failures, is a good way to keep track of everything that happens and expressing how a failure has impacted your life.
　　When writing about your failures, there are two key questions to ask: (1) Why did this happen? (2) What good might come from it?
　　Try not to rush your answers. Careful discernment can be enlightening and will lead to a better understanding of what can be learned, and avoided, the next time.
　　* Acceptance
　　Accepting failure is to be fully aware of the present moment without judgment or shame. Accepting failure is the best way to accept you a little more each day. There is a difference, however, between accepting failure and reconciling yourself to it.
　　You don’t have to settle for failure, but by accepting failure when it happens, you are providing some needed grace and self-care. You are accepting yourself as being appropriately, and significantly, human.
　　* Ask for help
　　When we fail, we are not alone. Everybody fails.
　　Because of this fact, we are eager to help others. We understand the feeling all too well. Our capacity to show compassion is a gift we don’t just give to the recipient, but we give to ourselves, too. Compassion provides a measure of comfort and hope. Everyone is invited to receive it.
　　The next time you fall short of a goal or when a situation does not turn out as expected, understand there are others who understand exactly how you feel. Reach out to these people. Ask for help and then receive the love and support you deserve.
　　* Find the nuggets
　　Even in our darkest moments, there can be nuggets of goodness waiting to be discovered.
　　There are many expressions, some clichés now, which illustrate this point:
　　o It’s always darkest before the dawn.
　　o What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.
　　o When God closes a door He opens a window.
　　These proverbial statements point to a central truth: There are no accidents without value.
　　No matter what happens in our lives, there is a greater good unfolding. Call it faith; call it divine intervention or call it just plain luck, but for every failed circumstance there is something extraordinarily valuable waiting to happen.
　　Through failure we try harder. Through failure we are given the chance to do a gut check and see how badly we want whatever it is we are trying to accomplish. Through failure we better understand the effort required to achieve our hearts’ desire.
　　Failure issues a challenge. If you refuse to risk failure then you have failed before you even started. However, waiting on the other side of failure’s challenge is a brighter place – a place called happiness.