Day Seven... If At First You Don't Succeed

Success - P'tit Bazar 2007 (02) (Photo credit: alter1fo)

I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Sometimes, my expectations are a little unrealistic in myself and in other people. I hate when I set out to accomplish something and I don't do it right or something stands in the way of my success. It's a bit of a blow to my pride, and I'm a pretty prideful person. I had to learn that it's OK to fall short of perfection. As a matter of fact, it's healthy to fall short of perfection.

I know plenty of people who rarely fail. And it used to be frustrating to me because I saw them living their lives and wondered why I kept failing and their life seemed to be running smoothly. Then, I took a deeper look. It became painstakingly obvious to me that the reason they weren't failing is because they were living an ordinary, safe life. Now, trust me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with living an ordinary life.

But, being the DIVA I am, that just wouldn't do. I have always wanted an extraordinary life, so I have had to take extraordinary risks. And the more risks you take in life, the greater your chance of failing. Any and every successful person will tell you that they had to overcome many obstacles on their road to greatness, but, with every accomplishment, they were one step closer to success and learned many valuable lessons along the way.

Now, failure is an important part of the learning process. But when deciding to embark on a new adventure or take on a new obstacle, you have to make sure that you have realistic expectations also. Set your goals high, but make sure they are attainable. Instead of worrying about what it will feel like to fail, start asking yourself what you can learn from each obstacle you overcome. Look at each obstacle as a learning experience rather than an opportunity to experience failure. If you aren't learning something from every event in your life, you aren't you aren't growing.

I can tell you one thing for sure. If you don't try anything at all, you have nothing to fear. Ask yourself, do you want to live a life of fear of failure? Or do you want to be open to new experiences and new adventures? Are you happy being stagnant and complacent in life? Or do you want to catapult your status and live on Cloud Nine? If you find yourself encountering an obstacle that's impossible to overcome, if you find yourself failing, DO NOT GIVE UP! Keep trying until you don't fail again. Give yourself a chance to succeed in life.

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