Try Again.

Failure is inevitable, unless you are some divine mass of perfection. In that case I’d love to meet you, but the truth of the matter is that YOU will fail sometime in this life. It might be just once or you might be like Thomas Edison who failed about 1,000 times before finally succeeding, nonetheless it is an inescapable part of reality. The good news is that failure does not have to be final. The truth is that every heart pulsation and every breath you take represents another opportunity to dust yourself off and simply try again.

I like to think of failures as growing pains. It hurts for a while but in the end you come out stronger and better than before. Our failures help us to mature into the man or woman we were destined to be. They propel us into our purposes. There is no doubt that at times the pain can be excruciating but the reward for perseverance is far greater than any pain that can be endured. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, said it best, “I haven’t failed! I’ve simply discovered another way not to invent the light bulb.” Edison did not see his disappointments as an end-all, but as motivation to try again. His persistent attitude resulted in him being one of the greatest inventors of all time.

As young people, it is so easy for us to get caught up in our mistakes and failures especially in this age of social media when it seems like everyone around us is succeeding and we are getting left behind. We dwell on these tiny stumbling blocks. We have a minor setback and we allow it to ruin the rest of our day or even future. I am guilty of this too. This past week I failed a chemistry test and as one who prides herself in good grades I was distraught to say the least. I even reconsidered if going into medicine was something I really wanted to do. But then I thought of all the great doctors and inventions we would not have if people allowed little obstacles to obstruct their path to success. What if Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO and founder gave up after his first failed attempt at computers? Nevertheless, like Edison he used those stumbling blocks to build towers of success.

Imagine what we would be robbing the world of, if we gave up. My next chemistry test is around the corner. I have two options: 1. Accept defeat and give up. 2. Try Again. The latter is my objective.

People are not great and successful because of some cool thing they did. What makes them extraordinary is their willingness to try again and their commitment to perseverance.

Remember if you’re not failing you’re not trying. A baby doesn’t learn to walk right away he/she stumbles, falls, bumps their head, get a few scratches but at the end of day keeps taking strides.

Don’t give up on yourself.
Don’t give up on your dreams.
Don’t give up on life.
Don’t give up on meaningful relationships.
Don’t give up on faith.

Just try again.