When Failure is Fine

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
- Sir Winston Churchill

It is very easy to forgive others their mistakes; it takes more grit and gumption to forgive them for having witnessed your own.
- Jessamyn West, US Author

Today's headlines are full of failure. Politicians falter, stars are arrested, and bankruptcy and foreclosure rates are out of control. Everyone fails at something, sometime. But what we do with that failure is what makes all the difference. After all, if you don't fall down every now and then, you aren't trying hard enough.

I recently found myself failing to meet some work-related goals I'd set for myself, and my initial response was a strong urge to put on my favorite jammies, crawl into bed with a box of Kleenex and watch the Hallmark channel for the day. But somewhere between the closet and the TV, I realized that, although the specific goals I had in mind had not been attained, I had learned quite a bit in the process of trying to fulfil them.

I sat down and re-evaluated those goals, implementing what I'd learned to make them more realistic. I'm now on a new track toward meeting those goals. And my jammies stayed clean for more important things, like family game night ... there's nothing better than playing Scrabble with those you love while wearing polka dotted jammie pants.

Failure happens to all of us, and sometimes we need help to pull ourselves out of the mindset that allows us to quit altogether. By using guided imagery to set your goals and build a path to allow you to reach them, you can become who you truly want to be.

A great resource is Dr. Patrick Carnes' Spiritual Skill Set. The two-part audio set breaks new ground in helping people explore the basic spiritual dilemmas all of us face, whatever spiritual traditions and practices we use. The first CD reflects on the subject "Discernment," and the second on "Resilience." CDs are available separately for $19.95 each, or as a set for $29.95. You can find them at http://www.gentlepath.com/.

I would like to thank you for taking the time in your busy lives to read our blog and make it a part of your week. Know that you are a part of a supportive and caring community that shares in your challenges and in your failures.

Warmly,
Amanda Larson
Publisher Gentle Path Press
alarson@gentlepath.com
http://www.gentlepath.com/