There are times when, despite our best efforts, we fall short. We fail. We don’t end up with what we wanted. It’s tempting to believe in those moments that it was all a waste and that we made no meaningful difference.
But it wasn’t a waste; be assured of that. If we learned from the experience, it wasn’t a waste. If it helped us to clarify where we need to go next, it wasn’t a waste. The very fact that we cared enough to try is meaningful and beautiful in and of itself.
Every experience, positive or negative, leaves its imprint on our soul and on our psyche. Experiences influence future decisions in profound ways. It’s up to us whether we choose to hide the negative experiences as scars of failure, or whether we’ll wear them proudly as badges of earnest, heartfelt dedication, of commitment to something grander than ourselves.
We can manage our lives to avoid pain. That’s easy. Sit on the couch, turn on the television, and watch other people take all of the meaningful risks. Or we can follow a different path by deciding what we want and reaching for it with energy and determination, embracing unimaginable challenges along the way. Life is messy and uncertain. Fate is cruel and unforgiving. And the dearest, sweetest dreams of all are the ones that will break our hearts most profoundly when they don’t work out.
Trying and failing is far more painful than not trying at all. It’s humiliating. It’s devastating. It is utterly heartbreaking. But consider that we only have one life to live. If we have not reached and stretched and pushed for the most meaningful experiences possible, if we have not risked body and soul and heart and pride in the pursuit of our dearest desires, then we are running the very real risk of wasting the one life that we have been given. That is the most tragic, heart-crushing risk of all, and it is the most avoidable.
Copyright © 2018 Daniel R. South
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