Why don’t we talk about our failures with equal measure as our successes?
Have you ever seen a bio with a list of the person’s failures? Unlikely. The usual bio is a carefully manipulated, polished collection of words highlighting all the juicy good stuff. It’s designed to make us look as bright and shiny as possible. Sadly, most of us are conditioned to look at someone’s resume and make a judgment in a nanosecond about the worth of this person. More than once, I have done this. And more than once have I felt lousy that someone looked at my resume and discarded me to the scrap heap.
But it is our failures, it’s when we fall down that we grow the most, learn the most, develop the most capacity. Our failures add colour, create the compelling story, and indeed inspire people who are still in the trenches.
In a world where comparison and success are the measure of the quality of a person, failure is seen as something to be kept hidden. It goes in the shame closet.
The quality of a person is not made up of their successes. It includes how they move through, reconcile and deal with failure. It also includes their success. It’s the sum total of who we are.
You love your child as much for their rebelliousness as for their capacity for compassion.
Our failures provide the platform on which we can choose to build a life of significance. They deserve celebration.
Kate Sumbler via Compfight
