We have all been in situations when we felt we let ourselves down. Our beliefs, plans, projects, relationships…. Although there is nothing wrong with experiencing the fall, accepting is as a lesson is far more important. Falling off the wagon can happen to anyone. Learning how to land on your feet again is more important than beating yourself up because of the fall. It is also more difficult than simply taking the fall.
Be Your Own Best Friend
What would you say to your best friend who had a misfortune to experience failure? Exactly. Now, consider telling the same thing to yourself when faced with the fall. Many people have the tendency to beat themselves up because of their mistakes.
Admittedly, we may hurt far more when it is our own inadequacy or weakness that is exposed. Nevertheless, accepting it and dealing with it appears to be one of the most important lessons we can learn in life.
Ways to Cope
We may debate over whether things happen for a reason. The fact is that through life, a person will go through a lot. There will be all sorts of ups and downs to handle. Each one of us can decide on how much involved he or she wishes to be.
The easier way is to let the nature take its course, relax and go with the flow. The more difficult way is to take the stirring wheel and navigate the storms. Which course would you take?
Let the Experience Be Your Teacher
The thing is that whatever you decide to do, the situations and circumstances will inevitably leave traces on your psychological development. It is no news, but we should remind ourselves every now and then, that ancient civilizations pondered on this topic as well. They talked about the experiences as of heavenly teachers.
Facing danger and possibility of failure has always been a sign of maturing, no matter the outcome. There are tribes still today that practice initiation. Once you face the challenge, you are mature enough to become an adult. Why is that so?
It is certainly not because that person has showed incredible stamina or skill (although this is praised as well). The main reason lies in a preparedness to accept whatever may come and to give it your best shot – even if you find yourself lying down beaten nearly to death.
Rising Up and Landing on Your Feet
Rising up is probably the hardest part of the process. Swallow the pain and pride and keep on moving. Without any attempt to sound patronizing, I personally think that once we get up and land on our feet, it is crucial to simply continue where we left off.
The notion of new beginnings sounds great, but it can overshadow the steps we took to arrive where we are now. We are what we make of ourselves. We carry all our successes, as well as failures with us everywhere we go. There is no way we can escape them. People either love us or hate us because of them. However, the very fact that we have managed to get up, pick up the pieces and continue moving, should tell a great story. The story about willpower and love. Love yourselves, people. More importantly, be kind to one another. You never know what someone had to experience in life in order to be the person he or she is.
Tell us about your greatest success or hardship. Do you successfully land on your feet often?
