I know that in these times it is all too easy to focus on
failure and the possibility of failure. We are told in many ways
every day that we need something more. The advertisers tell us
that everything about us could be better and needs improvement.
We are told that from head to toe, we are not good enough which
many people internalize as some failure on their part. This
brief article will help you see that with the right mind-set
there is no such thing as failure.
Think about it. They tell us we need us our feet need whatever
they are selling from lotions and potions to the most expensive
socks, shoes and boots. We are told that our legs need to be
strengthened, covered up or hidden. These sellers would have us
believe our thighs are too big, too flabby or too skinny; our
waistlines are too large, and that we need to have six-pack abs.
Other say we need to build our upper body strength and tighten
up things we didn’t even know were loose - at least not until
they pointed it out. Let’s move up a little bit because they
point out that our necks are ugly, flabby or non-existent and
that our faces need to be patched up, covered up or just plain
restructured by surgery.
Ultimately, for too many people this all ads up to the notion
that you or I leave much to be desired and most of us see that
as a failure. Is it any wonder that millions of people allow
themselves to define success or failure by someone else’s
agenda? This illustration from advertising is just one example
of how easy it is to get yourself geared up to believe you have
failed when in reality you have not failed at all. Instead, you
have been sold a bill of goods that benefits someone else at
your expense.
Notice that the advertising world relies on the externals to get
you to make an internal decision. They focus on something you
can see to get you to make a decision to buy their product. The
problem is we tend to internalize that external message and
start to believe there is some failure or lack on our part.
The same applies in our personal lives. How often have you
allowed someone else’s opinion of you determined how you feel
about yourself? How many times have you held off or held back on
your dreams because you allowed some external factor or somebody
to put the idea of failure in front of you. Externals must never
define failure, not other people, advertising, or even you’re
past disappointments.
There is no such thing as failure for anyone who believes in him
or herself. The one who believes that they have it in them to do
anything but fail will hear what others say and leave it right
there - on the outside. Don’t internalize somebody else’s
reality and make it your own and you will be failure-proof. You
cannot fail in things that are external to you and about which
you have no control. In other worlds you fail only if you
believe it is possible for you.
There is no failure for one who knows that so-called failures
give us a chance to start again. Think about how many times a
baby falls as it is learning how to walk - many, many times they
fall, but they get right back up! You were that baby! I was that
baby! We knew there was no such thing as failure. There is no
such thing as failure for those who believe that if we keep
getting up one day we will succeed, we will walk, we will run,
we will accomplish all of our goals.
Remind yourself every day that you are a success because success
is in you. All you have to do is believe it and act upon it.
Remember: There’s no such thing as failure.