"Where you stumble and fall, there you will find gold." -Joseph Campbell
"The wound is the place where the light enters you." -Rumi
I made so many mistakes today. I don't even know where to start. I woke up too late. I didn't have enough time to eat breakfast. I had to rush my lunch. I was late for class. I was impatient. I didn't spend enough focused time at work. I gave bad advice. I tried to push my own agenda. I wasn't supportive enough for a friend. I missed an important call. I got distracted. I didn't finish everything I wanted to accomplish today.
On the other hand, I learned a lot today... how much sleep my body actually needs. How I don't actually need breakfast everyday. How fast I can actually eat lunch. How inconsequential being five minutes late actually is. How my impatience doesn't speed the world up at all. How important it is to listen, to delegate, and to trust. How no advice is perfect nor anyone infallible. How I accomplished more than I thought.
Within every negative there is a positive--a balancing force. Sometimes this balance is easy to see, but when difficulties befall us, it can be more of a struggle. Every failure is an opportunity for learning and thus an opportunity for improvement. To become better at overcoming failure, we must first lean to embrace failure itself.
Failure comes in many forms but is always a result of improper preparation and/or bad luck. Seeing as we can't directly control our luck, we are left with preparation as the key element within our power in this equation. Readiness, skill, and creativity all factor in to our preparation and each one of those must be practiced in order to improve. The first step of embracing failure is seeing it as a way to sharpen one or more of these areas.
If we can view all things that occur throughout our day through a lens of curiosity, then we begin to unlock our true creativity. If we can consciously focus on developing our ability to face uncomfortable situations, then we begin to hone our skills. If we can take both good and bad circumstances with the same level of commitment to our purpose, then we shore up our readiness.
There is gold waiting to be found in each and every moment of our lives. Our wealth is then measured only by our willingness to receive it. The more valuable the treasure, the more treacherous the journey...and the greater the need for perseverance and practice.
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