Everyone fears failure like it's the coming of the End of Days, And honestly, some people treat it that way too, that too fail in an endeavor is to completely fail at life's one true mission. Dramatic? Most definitely, but I've seen more than my fair share of fellow competitive-spirited classmates go into fetal(position) due to a B- on their most recent grade. "There goes my GPA!" they'll cry, "I'l NEVER get into grad school now!" That's not to say I'm exactly whistling my happy tunes while skipping merrily if I were to walk out of the classroom with a C- or anything below it, but I prefer taking slights in stride, if you will.

Now, to those who know me from a young age, you know I could be a tad....'sensitive' would be the nice way of putting it. Emotionally fragile and easily thrown off, constructive criticism only seemed able to deconstruct my self esteem, and wasn't received all that warmly. As I aged, I learnt that there's a reason it's called 'constructive' criticism, and set out to make better use of my many pitfalls in personality, skills, and attempts at achievements more than a little out of my reach.

You see, to fail isn't bad. I swear. And I know, if you're anything like me, you're calling BS on this one already. I hear you. What I mean is say you don't come in first during a competition, or miss out on a job promotion, what do you do? Sulk? Mope? Gloom and despair at how unfair the world is and how no one quite understands you? Sure, I'll yourself those few moments of self-pity, it's human, but get right to work figuring out on WHY you missed the mark this time around. Was it something personal? A choice of wording or perhaps a matter of credentials? Observe those who have succeeded, and learn to emulate 'winning' behavior that does make a difference in the end. Do all of this, and you're on your way to learning from the failure, and accepting a loss as a lesson to be learned instead of a punishment well-deserved.

This one's a short passage for the week, but it gets right to the point. No dancing around the issue, no flourish, just the simple steps to learning from one's mistakes. Notice I didn't say easy, as there's a difference: the solution is simple, or straightforward, but make no mistake, it takes hard work and due diligence to keep that head held high in the face of adversity and power through the problems life tosses your way.