Failure.

It is something we all seem to excel at on a regular basis. I know that I have sure had my share of failures...especially this past week. Sometimes we fail tests in school, sometimes we fail to tell our parents about an event at school, and sometimes we fail at things that make a big impact on our lives such as meeting a deadline for an important college application. Sometimes we just fail.

As a perfectionist, I really struggle with the concept of failure. I strive to do everything perfectly, and I have yet to see that it is unrealistic to be that perfect. I seem to have perfected the method of failing! For example, I am super great at failing when playing a part in the music incorrectly during band. I play it over and over and just can't seem to get it right. I get mad at myself. I get angry, but that failure never seems to end. I fail when I study hours and hours for a test and end up getting a D as a result. Sure, I didn't technically fail the test, but to me I did.

What I have learned when I fail, it is that it is inevitable. Everybody messes up and everybody fails. It isn't just me! Sure, it seems like I'm the only one that doesn't understand something and fails a test because of it, but you are not alone.

I even went to a conference the other day that was teaching people to accept their fails and celebrate them. The conference taught me that failure happens and that it can be learned from. Everytime we fail we have the opportunity to do better the next time around. I don't know about you, but that sounds a lot more relieving to me.

What I'm trying to get across is that failure is something that happens to everyone; it's not just you. Failure is not always bad, because everyone learns from their mistakes. Failure may seem awful at the time it occurs, but in the end, failure can lead you to something better in life.