“Everything grand is made from a series of ugly little moments.
Everything worthwhile by hours of self-doubt and days of drudgery.
All the works by people you and I admire sit atop a foundation of failures.”— Pierce Brown
I read that quote to my clients earlier this week when we got onto the topic of failure.
I believe that when we look at other people we often think 'look at them, they've always got their shit together.'
Whereas the reality is, they don't. None of us do.
We're all fumbling our way through many failures each day to get to where we want to be – our own version of success.
Some people handle those 'failures' better than others, seeing them as part of the journey, instead of signalling the end.
This is one of the biggest challenges I see time and time again. Those people who believe it's black or white, pass or fail, get stuck thinking there are only two options and when failure rears its head – they tap out.
Those failures are in fact challenges that we all need to overcome and grow.
Have you ever watched a film where the lead character didn't have to overcome some personal challenge or fail? I didn't think so, and that's because that's what makes the story. That's what means that we're there rooting for them until the very end.
And just like a good sequel, the challenges will keep on coming.
"Beyond the mountains, there are more mountains."
We're forever moving the goal posts of what makes us feel happy and content and although I agree that life should encourage us to grow, evolve, and move forward, sometimes we're too busy focusing on the next thing we forget to enjoy the present.
There's the thought of how the old you, would have been envious of what the present you now have. A gentle reminder of how far you've already come, and even if you've had speed-bumps along the way, you're now perhaps somewhere you'd never thought you'd be.
I remember before I started S3LF I'd spend my days ready to leave my marketing job, and sat at my desk feeling like there was no end in sight.
But I kept chipping away building up the business I've created today, even if I struggled daily to see tangible progress. I had hope, as cheesy as it sounds. Hope that it was all going to be alright and I'd soon be doing what I envisioned as a career and business where I could help people with what I was good at.
You might look at this and think but it's not that easy for me with [insert relevant goal] – I get that. I have no idea what personal challenges you are facing right now.
But what I would say is worth noting is these challenges you're facing (note they're not failings) are what shape you.
You're learning from every single curveball thrown at you, even if those lessons feel rough at the time.
Keep going, it may well be worth sticking it out for.
Jess