Failing does not make you a failure

Everyone fails many times in their lives and too often people feel like this makes them a failure.  Wrong!! FAILING at doing something DOES NOT make you a failure.  You can convince yourself that you are a failure, but this isn’t true.

Failure is inevitable because we are human.  Failure is inevitable because we are not perfect.  Humans are imperfect creatures and will never be able to live life without failure.

Society tries to convince us that we need to work hard at becoming perfect.   Every day we see unrealistic images of beauty and watch programs about people living perfect lives.  Everywhere you look there are magazines, posters, billboards and other advertising that shows successful, beautiful, perfect people.   We are programmed to believe that there is something wrong with us and that our lives are a failure.  Success is only possible when you have beauty, money, power and possessions.  Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Basically this concept makes everyone in the world a failure.  Nobody can reach those high expectations.  Nobody is perfect and we never will be no matter how hard we try.

Failure can be a good thing when it helps you learn and grow.  Failure can be a bad thing when you give up and stop trying.

Many successful people in life have failed including Walt Disney, Abraham Lincoln, Lucille Ball, the Beatles, Henry Ford and many others.  There are several video clips on youtube about ‘famous failures’.  Here is a link to one of them –  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT4Fu-XDygw

When you fail at something you will probably feel bad at first.   But don’t keep feeling that way.  Instead look at what happened, figure out how you can do better next time and  try again.  Thomas Edison failed 3000 times before the light bulb was created.  Edison said, “I have not failed.  I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”  What if he had given up?  We’d all still be in the dark!

The only time that you are a failure is when you give up trying.  So don’t give up!  Keep on going!

IF YOU’VE NEVER FAILED, YOU’VE NEVER LIVED!

---