Anyone who hasn’t failed please raise your hand? A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new, Einstein reminded us. Failure is often the result of taking chances, of getting comfortable being uncomfortable for a short period of time. And it’s much more than that.
Let me explain. I was a failure on a recent birding expedition, despite the patience of the leader and the beauty of the surroundings. I couldn’t find any birds that practically everyone else saw on our three-hour trek. Mosquitoes took enough bites out of me to hibernate for the winter, and I was bored. To say I wasn’t a success would be putting it very mildly.
I mention this failure because I handled the knowledge of my ineptness very differently than I would have years earlier. It’s euphoric to realize I can do something poorly and it doesn’t impact who I am; it doesn’t define me. It took me a long time to realize our worth and value are not measured or defined by what we do or what we’re good (or bad) at.
So, the next time you don’t do something well, from parallel parking to hitting a backhand on the tennis court, remember those are things you do. Not you. You are defined by your integrity, kindness, friends and the value you add just by being. And the same applies to others in your life. Think about it, it’s very liberating.
