Education
Failure, disappointment, betrayal and defeat; they can all sting like a son of a bitch. Sometimes they can be heart crushing and leave you all but broken. And then just when you think it can’t possibly get any worse, it does. But, because you’re reading this right here and now, we both know you’ve still got a chance. Many, many have suffered much worse, survived and eventually triumphed. And so will you. So this is the first thought you’ve got to get straight in your head—you’re not the first and you won’t be the last. Welcome to the real world, where bad things happen to good people and where difficulty reigns supreme. And if you did it to yourself, the same still applies. Fault is only relevant for reflection, especially if the damage or failure was self-inflicted. Take note and don’t make or allow the same mistake again. Make a vow to become better, smarter and more disciplined. What really counts when things fall apart, is that you take responsibility for putting them back together again. For example, if it’s someone else’s fault that your leg is broken, it’s still your responsibility to heal up and get back to full strength. No one else can do this for you. And it’s the same with the rest of your life. Fault is irrelevant at some point. What matters is the responsibility for making things right; and that responsibility is yours. Take all the help you can get. But never release yourself from full responsibility. It’s your life and it’s up to you to fix it. Period. No matter what happens. Or no matter how often it happens. There’s only one answer. Rise Again. Don’t Expect to be Perfect As the saying goes, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. By all means strive for perfection. Just don’t expect to be perfect. There are some absolute no’s in this world—decisions or actions that must never occur in your life. We need not discuss these here. You know what they are. And you will not use this line of reasoning as an excuse to cross the inviolable red line. But when it comes to performance, execution or discipline, do not expect to be perfect. Even the master, even the world champion will rarely attain perfection. Once in a while, a near perfect performance can be said to be had, but there are many, many more which are replete with failure and disappointment. The difference between the master and the journeyman is simply about level and peak performance. Consider yourself as a journeyman in your own life; a journeyman working his way toward mastery. Seek perfection. Seek excellence. Seek your best. But when you don’t quite make the mark, Rise Again, dust yourself off and get right back at it. And if some of these failures are about bad habits, the same reasoning applies. Shoot for perfection, but don’t expect to be perfect. Improve over time. Tell yourself, this time I will not falter. And if you do falter, tell yourself the same thing again; no matter the interval involved; long or short. Keep at it. Until one day when you finally do get it right. And you’ll thank yourself for forgiving yourself for not being perfect; for not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good; until good did become perfect. Rise Again. Over and over again if need be. Sometimes it’s the only answer. And besides, the only thing worse than a failure, is a quitter. So don’t expect to be perfect, just get right back up and try to be. Hold the line Minimize the Damage If you do mess up and ruin some sort of personal winning streak, do not use the breakdown as an excuse to flush it all down the toilet. Even if it’s the umpteenth time. As discussed above, you and I both know we’re not perfect. And there’s no need to punish yourself, or worse, feel sorry for yourself. And the same goes for any other circumstance that conspires to knock you off track. The worse thing you can do is to give up. Do what you have to do to stop the bleeding.