Rethinking "Failure"

I did not handle failure very well. Especially when I attempted to do something uncomfortable. I would get frustrated when things didn’t go as expected. Also, it made me never want to attempt that thing again. As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m a child of immigrant parents. Growing up, I wasn’t given a lot of room to make mistakes. 

After college, this thought process was challenged. Something I explored during that time (which is very taboo in a Christian, Haitian, and Black home) was try therapy. 

It was extremely uncomfortable at first, but it forced me to actually realize that I have accomplished a lot. And the biggest thing I learned is that failing isn’t this terrible thing to avoid. They are lessons learned and each of those lessons bring me one step closer to a better version of myself. Also, the most successful people fail many times before they achieve certain goals. 

Unfortunately just because I know this, doesn’t mean it comes easy. I had to unlearn bad habits to learn new ones. 

3 habits I had to unlearn:

1. Caring so much about other people’s opinions.
2. Being afraid of big changes.
3. Not celebrating the small wins.

3 new habits I started doing:

1. Documenting the small wins as reminders of what I have done.
2. Doing something nice for myself when I overcome something challenging.
3. Create boundaries with people who negatively impact how I think.

I want to encourage anyone who feels that they are not successful right now. Success isn’t defined by anyone other than yourself. Don’t be afraid to fail, it will only create regret later. Of course, this is easier said than done, but give yourself some grace and keep taking steps forward. 

Resource Hub:

1. I found these two videos to be inspirational: 

Steve Harvey- Failure is a Wonderful Teacher | Motivation For Times of Uncertainty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfwmYu0jjCE

 

Denzel Washington's Life Changing Speech On Failure and Success:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZhzYqZArGE 

 

2. The quote for this week:

“Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end.“

3. Verse of the week: 

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8)

 

How do you navigate failure? Feel free to comment below!

 

Light and love!

-Christina

 

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