Failure

“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

Teddy Roosevelt

Failure. As of late it has been on my mind quite a bit. It has been a rough year with more than a couple of challenges within my personal and professional lives. There have been more than a couple of moments in which I felt like I should be named Sisyphus. It felt like no matter how hard I tried it wasn’t good enough.

So after a while I began to wonder if I should just hang up my spikes. If I couldn’t get it done than maybe the smart thing to do was to walk away. But the thing is, safe is not my nature. I am a gambler and a dreamer.

That is not to say that I don’t know how to be conservative. I do. I am more than capable of taking a deep breath and following the main road to the city. It is something that I do more often than not. Still, I can’t help but search for the Yellow Brick road. I can’t help but wonder what would happen if I tried something new.

So I take a moment to try and determine why things happen one way and not another. In some cases I can say that I failed because of the limitations I placed upon myself, not because I couldn’t do it.

That is a bitter pill to swallow. It is uncomfortable. Yet, it is also an opening for opportunity. It is a chance to say that I can do better. It is a chance to ask myself what I can do to avoid falling into the same trap.

And that is why I like Roosevelt’s quote. It is a reminder to me that life is meant to be lived and that failure needn’t be worn as a badge of shame. I own my failure. Don’t misunderstand my smile to suggest that I enjoy or am proud of having failed. I am not.

But I haven’t any problem saying that I am proud that I was willing to take a chance and that I am confident that the lessons I learned from failing will be why I won’t fail again,

I’d write more but the syrupy sweet feel of this post is rubbing me raw. See you around.

• Saved: Philosophy, Random Thoughts