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Hey friends,
Pull up a chair. Let’s have a little chat. You see, life has this funny way of teaching us lessons, often when we least expect it. It's like walking down the street, minding your own business, when WHAM! You trip over a crack in the sidewalk. Embarrassing? Sure. Painful? Maybe. But permanent? Not at all.
Failure, my dear, is a lot like that crack. It’s a bruise, not a tattoo. Let me explain.
You know those bruises you get, the ones that make you look like you’ve been wrestling with a gorilla? They hurt for a while, turn all sorts of weird colors, but eventually, they fade away. Tattoos, on the other hand, are meant to stick around. They’re like the time you thought getting a dolphin on your ankle was a great idea at 18. (Trust me, it wasn’t. Your grandma still laughs about it.)
The thing is, we often confuse the two. We think failure is this indelible mark on our souls, a permanent reminder of our inadequacies. But in reality, it’s just a temporary blemish, a passing phase. And if you let it, failure can teach you more than any success ever could.
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Now, let’s get a bit more practical, shall we?
Embrace the Bruise
First off, don’t be afraid of getting bruised. If you’re not failing at something, you’re probably not trying hard enough. Think about it: when you first learned to ride a bike, you fell more times than you’d care to admit. But did you give up? No, you got back on, dusted yourself off, and kept pedaling until you could ride without wobbling like a duck on ice.
Laugh at Yourself
Next, learn to laugh at your failures. There’s nothing more liberating than being able to chuckle at your own mishaps. I remember trying to impress ‘the grandma’ with my culinary skills. Long story short, I almost burned down the kitchen. Did she marry me for my cooking? No. She married me because I could laugh at myself, even when I was scraping charred remains off the ceiling.
Reflect and Adjust
Take a moment to reflect on what went wrong. Not in a self-pitying, woe-is-me kind of way, but in a constructive manner. What could you have done differently? How can you improve next time? Every bruise has a lesson hidden in it, like a pearl in an oyster. It’s your job to find it.
Share Your Stories
Don’t be afraid to share your failures with others. It makes you human, relatable, and surprisingly, more respectable. People admire those who are honest about their shortcomings because it shows resilience and authenticity. Plus, you never know who might benefit from hearing your story.
Keep Moving Forward
Lastly, always keep moving forward. The beauty of a bruise is that it heals. The body is designed to recover, and so is your spirit. Don’t let a temporary setback deter you from pursuing your goals. Remember, every great success story is peppered with moments of failure.
Let me leave you with this: Life is a series of ups and downs, a beautiful mess of triumphs and defeats. Embrace it all. Wear your bruises with pride, for they are the badges of a life fully lived. And remember, failure is just a bruise, not a tattoo. It’ll fade with time, leaving you wiser and stronger.
So, go out there and give it your all. Trip, fall, get bruised, but always get back up. Because in the grand tapestry of life, it’s not the bruises we remember most, but the courage it took to keep going.
With all my love and a bit of grandfatherly wisdom
Have a GREAT week
Digital Gramp
Quote of the Week
One thing I’ve learned on this journey: criticism happens no matter what. It is the price of admission to life. You can’t let that decide how your story will be told
- Lewis Howes, The Greatness Mindset
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