Failure.
What an unsettling topic. But let’s be real, it’s something every student is thinking about right now. The school year just came to a close, along with everything we've known for the past nine months. Now is the time to reflect on both the good and the bad that happened during the year. This article is going to focus on what is usually considered the bad. While the good should be seen and treasured, it is the bad that God most often uses to teach, grow, and change us.
I’ve decided that there are two types of failures. The first is when one falls short of reaching a goal. This one hurts because we can see all the time and effort put into reaching this goal simply dissolve into a haze, then fade away. The second type is when we wrongly handle a situation or circumstance. This type of failure is particularly damaging because after we realize what we've done, we tend to feel like beings undeserving of life or acceptance.
I am proficient at failing. The past year and a half of my life has been full of failure. I know what it feels like to fail, and as awful as it sounds, I want you to feel it too- so that we are all able to move on from our regrets, into new possibilities and second chances.
So the question I ask is this: How have you failed this year?
Maybe you can relate to some of these areas:
1. Not treasuring some relationships like you should have
2. Getting a lower GPA than you know you had potential for
3. Failing to snatch up a boyfriend/girlfriend (totally kidding, don’t count this as a failure)
4. Choosing to be around people who are a negative influence
5.Damaging your relationship with your family
6. Not taking advantage of an opportunity
In some way, I feel like I have failed in all of the (legitimate) areas above. But I have realized a couple of facts that I want you to understand as well:
Failure is inevitable.
This doesn’t mean that we should give up or become pessimistic, but that we should be aware of our fallibility. There is always opportunity for growth and progress, even among failures.
Failure shapes us into who we are and what we will become.
Looking back at my life, it has been filled with failure. Without that failure, however, I would not be the Alyssa Judson that people know today.
Now that we’ve thought through all the ways we’ve sucked at life during the past year, here’s what we need to do with our knowledge and awareness:
1. Recognize that the past cannot be changed.
2. Use the past to change the future.
3. Be understanding of other people’s failures, as no one is perfect.
4. Be aware of the fact that failure will come again.
Now we are all fully aware of the impact of failure, but no less sensitive to the damage it causes. We can't pretend that it doesn’t hurt, but even what hurts us can be profitable for us.
Let’s unite under the fact that we all fail, but let’s also challenge each other not to accept failure as a permanent condition.
Here’s to a future full of failure, growth and new opportunities to succeed.
