Life is full of lessons. I find myself constantly being reminded of this whenever something doesn't go my way or I make a massive mistake which I intend to never repeat. Unfortunately, we are destined to make a lot of mistakes and learn a lot of lessons. You don't play with fire because you might get burned. You don't step too close to the edge because you might fall. You don't want to fall in love because you might have your heart broken. But what about all the pyromaniacs, daredevils, and romantics? Sometimes you have to get burnt and broken to really learn your lesson.
So maybe we've fallen off our bikes a couple times or we've gotten too close to the fire and singed out shoes. Maybe you poured all of yourself into a relationship that was destined to never make it off the ground. We learn by trial and error, by trying to get something right over and over and over again. There are so many reasonably "inspirational" quotes about perseverance. We may google, copy, and paste these words for a witty Instagram caption when we feel on top of the world and completely unstoppable. But I've found that we most need to hear these words when we are at our absolute lowest. When you've fallen down seven times and don't know if you can stand up eight. When you've finally hit your breaking point and all you can think to do is throw you're hands in the air and scream until your gasping for air. When you want to shut all your doors and never let anyone in ever again.
But life doesn't stop when you have a bad day. You can't control the outcome of absolutely every situation, or any situation fort hat matter. You just have to roll with the punches and go with the flow. Don't let one crappy situation, one stupid boy, or one dumb mistake keep you from reaching for the stars. Don't throw your hands up in frustration or build up walls for the outside world because nothing ever seems to go your way. As Tyra Banks forever engraved in our brains, "Learn something from this." But if you need someone a little more historic than Tyra, when Thomas Edison was trying to invent the light bulb he said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." So don't give up on your modeling career or inventing the light bulb, or whatever it is your trying to do. "Just keep swimming," like our dear friend Dory would tell us.
I know all of this is easier said than done, but take it from someone who is trying to do it. Happy people don't hold grudges. Happy people take responsibility for their actions. Happy people try to learn from their mistakes. Happy people aren't perfect, but they know that. They don't sit around eating pints of ice cream at a time and dwell on the past and everything that has gone wrong in their lives. Happy people move on. So let's all just be happy people. And remember, let it make you better, not bitter.
