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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Failure and the pursuit of passion. Day 7

Failure is an inevitable part of life, we've all heard that, right? I've had my fair share of school rejections, job rejections, etc. They've all shaped who and where I am today. I still look back on some those failures and wonder what might have been but really that's pointless.


I watched an interview with Oprah the other night and she thinks of failure as the universe redirecting your path. I believe that is probably true although it can be difficult to understand the redirection. A redirection requires a new evaluation of your location and place--but sometimes we're just not sure where we're at after failure. How do you move on, readjust and redirect?

In my personal experience I think that we sometimes have to learn certain lessons before we can move on to a new path or move up to the next level of what we're seeking. It seems that the universe doesn't let you get ahead of yourself, no matter how much we hope it will. Honestly, I don't know this for certain and I often doubt it. I do believe that once we gain time and distance often the view comes in to focus and it is easy to understand how the path has lead to a destination. Sometimes when you're on that path it's hard to see a destination, much less believe that you're not just going in circles!

I think to be ready for the next leg of the journey, it's important to be prepared and keep learning. Whatever it is that interests you--take a class, read a book, decorate a room, get certified (Scuba, EMT, whatever). I try to keep improving my skills. I went back to school to get my graduate degree, I've obtained professional certifications, I've done some interesting volunteer and consulting work. These things all take time and energy but I've found that they've actually energized me, rather than sapped my energy. When I'm engaged and learning something new, I'm excited and happy (and sometimes tired). My hope is that my being active and interested I will spark and manifest new opportunities for myself.

Failure can be a catalyst for change and improvement. It's not easy but it is usually exciting to try new things and might spark some new opportunity.

How do you handle failure? What do you do to stay engaged and motivated?

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