Positive Perspectives

From the moment of our birth, until our last breath, our progress is measured on a scale of perfection.

At school, home, and work, our errors are quickly corrected, and we become accustomed to the reward system. When we make a mistake, we are shamed; when we do something right, we are praised. The message is clear: mistakes are bad.

Yet, mistakes are essential to our psychological and emotional development.

And they are something that I am thankful for.

To shun mistakes is to shelter a flower from the rain.

We blame all kinds of things for our setbacks, especially our mistakes, but this only holds us back even more. During those times of crisis, we might hear things like, “everything happens for a reason” and “light cannot shine without darkness.” Why not preach this everyday?

I believe we should live these words in every moment. Even in times of peace and abundance, we should perceive potential struggles as blessings, and have confidence in the wisdom they bring. Nothing shines brighter than a diamond, pulled from the rough.

Rather than waiting for rock bottom to seek out the stars within our darkness, we can stay ahead of the game, and begin shining now.

Many successful entrepreneurs, and millionaires alike, spend their lives motivating others who have similar goals. In only a short time of studying these brilliant people, I have noticed one common factor: they all advise us to release the fear of failure.

Without failure, there is no evolution. Think of a body-builder. In order for the muscles to grow, they begin the process of muscular hypertrophy, in which the tissue is damaged. The repair process does not create new muscles, but simply binds the broken muscle fibers together, and results in an increased size. This same process can be applied to our minds and souls; and the result is people like Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and many other renowned billionaires who have built themselves up from nothing.

Did you know that over half of the world’s millionaires are self-made? Of which, the majority comes from poverty.

From a young age, many of us begin to identify with the social class we are born into, and subconsciously relate this to our self-worth. Challenging this identification takes a toll on the ego. Society has taught us to identify with these labels, and they become a part of our sense of self.

The process of rebuilding this self, is the same as body-building.

Our old identity must be compromised in order to create a better one. Ties with old labels must be severed, but most importantly: failures must be accepted and mistakes must be made.

A very inspiring entrepreneur, Gary Vaynerchuck, dedicates many of his videos and speeches to the concept of embracing failure and mistakes. Like his colleagues, he doesn't run from failure, but uses the lessons and wisdom gained from these setbacks as tools on his journey.

Imagine you are playing basketball and your older brother challenges you and your friend: whoever makes five hoops in a row gets $10. That is easy, you think.

After a few failed attempts, you realize it’s not so easy after all, and your face turns red. If you lose, your brother will never let you forget it and you will look bad in front of your friend. The shame builds up and your ego tells you the challenge is stupid anyway. Defeated, you go inside.

To everyone's surprise, your friend continues with the challenge. Your brother watches in amusement as the orange ball bounces across the driveway, laughing and recording with his phone. The humiliation doesn’t seem to faze your friend and they stay focused, shooting hoop after hoop.

The sky morphs to shades of pink and purple, with the setting of the sun. Several hours pass and the glowing sunset fades to night. Finally, your friend skips inside, rejoicing and waving a ten dollar bill through the air. Jealousy floods your heart, and you try to hide it. How did they win? You both have the same skill, height, and strength. The only difference was your perception about mistakes.

While you were letting the fear of failure kick you to the ground, your friend kept their back against the wall and refused to give up without a fight. Their skills were mediocre at best, but they beat the odds by increasing their effort and staying committed.

This same concept can be applied to every area of our lives. If we don’t do our best, we are not giving ourselves a fair chance at success. The thing is, sometimes we must accept that our best isn’t good enough.

That doesn’t mean we give up! When our best isn’t good enough, we have to be thankful for the lesson it has taught us, and use that wisdom in our next attempt. We keep trying, until we get it right.

2020 has taught me to be thankful for my mistakes. I have faced obstacles I never thought I would overcome and found hope in the darkest of places. Still, I am pushing forward, with nothing but a dream and newfound strength. I am no longer afraid to fail, because each time I get back up, I am ten times stronger, and that is something to be thankful for!