Have you ever wanted something SO bad....and then failed to get it? Have you ever given everything you had.....and it still wasn't enough? Failure is a bitter pill to swallow. And the heartbreak of a lost dream is one of the toughest things we will ever have to endure. Whether it's a devastating break-up, a lost job, a last-place finish, a weight-loss plateau, a no-go chin-up, or a closed liquor mart on a Saturday night (ok....maybe not the last one)....the feeling of shattered hope? Excruciating. Take Perdita Felicien. World-champion hurdler who was favoured to win gold at the 2004 Olympics. Flare gun goes off. Race begins. And on the very first hurdle, she trips and falls. After years of gruelling training. Day in and day out. It was all over in the blink of an eye. And never again did she compete on the world stage. But guys, nothing is ever coincidental. And although there is a time and place for facing pain head on (and trust me....I've been the girl, hunched over her steering wheel, bawling her eyes out while listening to Say Something), when your tear-stained cheeks have dried momentarily, it is the perfect opportunity to ask the question: what am I meant to learn in this situation? For Perdita, the answer is clear. "I'm at peace with it. Because I know what I'm capable of. And a shiny piece of hardware isn't the only symbol of being a world-class athlete." And I 100% agree. For me, the pain of failure has taught me that I am an all-in, never-hold-back, uninhibited go-getter. I am passionate and unbridled and audacious to the core. And if living and loving that profoundly and that deeply, means that I fall harder than those who do not, I am willing to feel that pain. I am a fighter. A fighter for my grandest, most beautiful, most outlandish dreams. And in the face of "no," I am being given the detour to get there. Even if I can't see where that path leads right now. Because I would much rather reach for technicolor than live in the grey. As exciting as 50 shades of it may seem. There is a lesson inside of our failures. And as odd as it sounds, the lesson is that there is even a lesson at all. Life may have to knock you over the head with that lesson again and again......but eventually, it will settle in your soul. Life happens for us, not to us. And I'd like to make the claim that failure happens for us, not to us, as well. We never truly know what we're capable of until we push through discomfort. And what could be more uncomfortable, than failure? And so, I encourage you to take a look at the challenges you are facing. The roadblocks. The failures. And ask yourself, what are you are meant to learn here? Then grab yourself a beer. That you got from the LC. During open hours. Which you now have tattooed on your forearm.
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