The Strength in Failure

We are all victims of the vicious grasp of failure. It’s like a peaceful day on the beach, then out of no where, a giant wave comes in and swallows you up. Each time you fail and fail again, you seem to sink deeper and deeper, until you’ve hit rock bottom. Then what? You seem lost as your failures swim by, taunting you in your mind. You feel trapped with no hope of ever swimming back up to the shore.

Failure is an ugly word that brings unwanted memories back to people. It also can cause people to think that they’re not good enough and it may even shake some people’s confidence.

The worst thing about failure is that it’s hard to take in. It’s hard to get over. It stings sometimes, but the good news to it is that you can learn from it.

Since I’ve joined middle school, I’ve learned a few things, one in particular, failure and what it means. I didn’t make the cut for a musical, the soccer team, showchoir, or volleyball. It was hard and it did hurt to think I was bad at everything I tried. I took a step in, was forced two steps back in each attempt. So I know a thing or two about failure, but I also learned from them too. I learned what resilience was, I learned to never give up, and I learned that your only as good as you make yourself.

People have complemented me on my drawing abilities, but they say that theirs aren’t good or they aren’t good at drawing. I have told those people that, it’s not that your bad, it’s just everyone’s art is different. If we all had the same art abilities, then life would be boring. We need a balance of skills. I have met no one that had the exact same skill level as another.

If you are reading this right now, I want to tell you that you aren’t alone. Even if you do fail, get back up and try again. There is a quote by Roy T. Bennett that states, “The one who falls and gets up is stronger than the one who never tried. Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.” This is a very inspiring and well known quote that can apply to many lives out there.

So for the new year, I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone at least once and see where it gets you. You may succeed, but if you don’t, get back up and continue to fight again. Don’t let the smallest failures in life lead to the biggest impact to why you can’t achieve great things. You can conquer your dreams, but in order to do that, you must have failures. You are stronger with those failures. They help shape who you are. If you set them aside, anything is possible at your actions.