Redirection, by definition means, the action of assigning or directing something to a new or different place or purpose.

Collectively, we know what redirection means in the basic sense of the word. However, when we experience redirection, we often view the situation as a failure or a loss. We as human beings can become easily frustrated or discouraged in seasons of misfortune and perceived failure.

In life, it’s rare that things go according to plan. We don’t get the job we wanted, we graduate college in 6 years not 4, perhaps don’t even finish, plans get cancelled and we disappoint ourselves. Unfortunate scenarios and events occur in everyone’s life, and no one is immune to mishap. So how do we stop viewing these inevitable complications as failure?

First, we must learn to not recognize them as such. Life is not easy and when things don’t work out it doesn’t mean we’ve failed. Often times we’ve just been redirected. We’ve been put on a new path to reach our end goal. This can be a challenging concept to accept at first, we often feel pressure to complete certain tasks in a very specific time frame or order. However, there is no right or wrong order when it comes to living your life. We all experience different events at different ages and each one of us embarks on a different journey to reach our unique end goal.

That being said, it’s common for people to feel that they have failed at a task due to time, specifically lack of time. We feel we weren’t given a fair amount, we miss a deadline or progress takes us longer than projected. Not completing tasks by a deadline can leave us feeling like failures, often times our lack of timeliness results in sanctions from someone who holds more power than we do. The fear of punishment can also manifest the fear of failure. Time is a non-renewable resource we cannot make up for lost time or create extra time for ourselves, but when we fail to meet a deadline it is important we forgive ourselves.

Failure leaves us feeling as if we have limited or no options after. We have exhausted all of our energy and resources into one project ultimately to watch it fail. After experiencing this, it can be hard to become re-inspired and find a new focus, but refocusing can be the best remedy.

Not every failure should be viewed as a loss, some failures provide us with new opportunities and growth, they redirect our lives and put us on the path we are supposed to be on. We will be disappointed and we will be hurt in this life. However, being denied of a job does not mean you’re forever unemployed, it may open new doors, the relationships that you’ve been hurt in can help you grow and prosper with your next partner, and every mistake made is not the end, they may even foster success.

Redirection happens to everybody, no one’s life is perfect or simple, even if it appears that way. As humans, we all struggle and we all feel like giving up at times. Let redirection fuel your next journey and allow your failures to become your inspiration.