Raise your hand if you have experienced failure. If your hand isn’t in the air, you either just came out of the womb, or you’re lying.
Everyone has experienced failure in some regard. Maybe you forgot your keys in your dorm room and only remembered after the door locked shut behind you. Maybe you forgot to put gas in your parent’s car and had to pull over on the side of the highway with the gas gauge at zero. Maybe you didn’t get into the college of your dreams because your grades weren’t good enough. Maybe you forgot your mom’s birthday. Maybe you missed a deadline on a paper because you put it off until the last minute. Maybe you lost a friend because you put no effort into the relationship. Maybe you made a mistake. It’s OK. We’ve all been through it.
We know that a failure isn’t the end of the world. Sure, some failures are more devastating than others, but that doesn’t mean you stay devastated forever. Failure is essential for life because failure is how we learn. We don’t drive a paved road; our roads are bumpy and winding, and there’s definitely no map. Our paths are about trial and error, perseverance, and picking yourself up off the ground, dusting yourself off, and getting back behind the wheel.
When you make a mistake and get a negative outcome, there’s a very good chance that you won’t make that mistake again, because negativity is not where we thrive. You’ll remember your keys. You’ll fill up the gas tank. You’ll work harder in school. You’ll remember your mom’s birthday next year. You’ll procrastinate less. You’ll be a better friend. You’ll try your hardest to never make that mistake again.
Failure is a catalyst for change. If we never failed, we would be static characters in the novel of our lives. We don’t want to be static: we want to be dynamic. We want to grow and learn and improve. We want to become the best version of ourselves that we can possibly be. Because after all, that’s the point of living, isn’t it?
Now, I’m going to tell you a story about a creature that should be an inspiration to us all: the phoenix. According to Greek mythology, the phoenix is a bird that is cyclically regenerated. When a phoenix dies, he produces a show of flames and combustion, and is reduced to ash.
From that ash, a new and stronger phoenix is born.
This legendary bird symbolizes rebirth and renewal across cultures and around the globe. We’ve got to be more like the phoenix. Rise from your own ashes. Instead of viewing a failure as the end of the line, find a new route. Use failure to your advantage and let it make you stronger than you’ve ever been.
Keep growing. Keep learning. Keep failing.
