Last month - Moving Beyond Failure
The real gift of failure is the moment, just beyond the point of drowning, when you realize you’re going to survive. Just as you think the current will take you under, the familiar side of the outer bank presents itself. You feel the last reserves or adrenaline and you kick your way to the edge before collapsing. The most common thread among the most accomplished, writers, scientists, mothers, activists, artists, leaders and creators, is their willingness to try, again and again. They never really master success, they master failure. They practice it so many times, it seeps into their bones, and takes residence in their guts. The moment of triumph comes when they stop being afraid, when defeat is a familiar friend and nothing is too big, too scary, or too impossible. Success comes to you when you are lying on the bank having caught your breath. You look out again into the raging current and realize you are getting better at building boats and swimming. The river, despite its slow eddies, smooth stretches, and treacherous drops offers quite a ride. You trust yourself, your trust the river, and you step forward, testing the current once again.
Angela Engel
© March 2019
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