Monday, November 5, 2007

Lessons Learned


Failure is just a way for our lives to show us we're moving in the wrong direction, that we should try something different.
~Oprah Winfrey
I could write a long list of my so called failures in my life...a list that I'm pretty positive is still in the works...but I won't bore you with the sordid details. What I will tell you is what I have learned from some of those life experiences, as I would like to call them.
I have learned that without these things happening to me, I would never have learned some of the most important lessons in my life.
I've learned that when you are doing something that you absolutly hate doing, even though you sank a lot of money, time and energy into it....if you walk away from it, you'll be okay...in fact you will most likely be more than okay. Often times, things like this help you find out what you are really passionate about.
I've learned that sometimes when you think you have made the biggest mistake in your life, it ends up being the best thing that could have happened to you...one that would make you a much better person because of it.
Then of course there are things that happen that sometimes you really don't know why they happen...and you spend a great deal of time wondering what good could possibly come of it. If anything...it probably makes you a stronger person inside.
I read somewhere that failure holds no more power than we give it. A pretty powerful statement to say the least. I think if we take anything from our so called failures, it's to learn from them and take back the power and turn them into lessons learned...and not to dwell on them.
Maya Angelou said "You did then what you knew how to do, when you knew better...you did better" Take a lesson from that...you didn't fail...you only did what you knew how to do. Now go out and do better.
I think most of our fears don't come from fear of failure...it comes from fear of success. It's easy to keep doing what you are doing...because you know how to do it...it's safe. We might not be happy about how of life is...but it's comfortable, secure and familiar. Sort of puts it in a different perspective doesn't it?
well...that's about it in a nutshell...hope you can take something from it. smile.gif

2 comments:

The Harbour of Ourselves said...

I like what Van Gogh said, that; 'If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.'
- a good lesson learned me thinks

Anonymous said...

Oprah's 4 interviews with Jill Bolte Taylor were the first that Oprah did after Eckhart Tolle and they take everything Tolle talks about to another level. Oprah's copy of Jill's book, MY STROKE OF INSIGHT, was dog-eared and all marked up and kept reading from it the way she read from A New Earth and recommended it highly.

Oprah's recommendation was enough for me. I read My Stroke of Insight and I loved it too. This story is as inspiring as The Last Lecture or Tuesdays with Morrie - and even better, it has a Happy Ending!

I bought the book on Amazon because they have it for 40% off retail and they also had an amazing interview with Dr Taylor that I haven't seen anywhere else - Here is the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/My-Stroke-Insight-Scientists-Personal/dp/0670020745/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211471755&sr=1-2