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 persons failures? Unlikely. The usual bio is a carefully manipulated polished collection of words highlighting all the juicy good stuff. Its designed to make us look as bright and shiny as possible. Sadly most of us are conditioned to look at someones resume and make a judgement in a nano second 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, its 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. Its the sum total of who we are.
You love your child as much for their rebelliousness as for their capacity for compassion.
Our failures provides the platform on which we can choose to build a life of significance. They deserve celebration.
