Fail Forward

So you have a dream? you graft for years to get to where you want to be; you could almost touch it and life pulls the rug from under your feet. 

Sometimes things do not go to plan, there is a quote that says 'life is what happens to us when we are busy making plans.' It's important first to be mindful that what you do is not who you are, because if you depend your worth on seeing yourself as such and such a career; and there comes a time you do not have it. Your identity goes into a tailspin. 

If you are feeling lost I want to tell you it will be alright, things might seem overwhelming now, and you did not see this coming. Do not beat yourself up on how you could have done this or handled this differently.  Sometimes life can have an even better design for you. It may not feel like it, it may feel like you've taken ten steps backward instead of forwards - you are not giving in. You're just choosing another path, it wasn't the shortcut you had hoped you'd take but maybe there is something really beautiful, wild, and wonderful on this untravelled path. 

When it seems like life is throwing one problem after another your way, the storm will pass, the sun will shine again. A group of researchers tried to replicate everything a plant ecosystem needed to thrive. They could not understand how the trees would collapse once they grew to a certain height. What they realised was this, the artificial ecosystem had no wind. The wind was essential to helping the trees grow stronger roots, without stronger roots, the trees would continue to collapse when a storm arrived. 

The point of this story is this, this is your wind, this is life's way of testing you, how badly do you want this dream? how can you grow from this? how can you approach this situation differently? this is what stretches us and strengthens us. Through each storm, or each obstacle we grow stronger, smarter, we gain a new perspective, we change, we make mistakes, we learn from them and we try again. 

Some of the world's most successful people had to fail forward. You may only recognize their glory moments but you did not see behind their graft. Walt Disney was told he lacked imagination, JK rowling was told her books weren't going to be published, Spielberg was rejected twice by the university of cinematic arts, Thomas Edison was told he was 'too stupid to learn anything. 

If you know this dream is meant for you, then no obstacle will get in the way of your pursuit. Others' opinions of you are just that, opinions. They are not facts, so do not allow their words to discourage you. They do not determine your success or your worth. If you have a dream, protect it, fight for it. 

 Focus on what you can do right now to bring it to fruition and never give up. Trust that all that is meant for you will find its way to you. 

- Han