Remember my Declaration of You series of blog posts? Well, it’s back. First I shared my thoughts about enthusiasm and what makes my heart smile. And then I talked about Uniquity.
This week’s topic is SUCCESS. A lot of people are blogging about what it means to be successful or why they feel they are or are not successful. But what I’d like to talk about concerning this topic is the assumption that success is good and failure (or not achieving success) is bad. I believe that is assumption is wrong, even though yes, I want to succeed and no, I do not want to fail.
First, let’s talk about why not succeeding or not achieving a goal is not always a bad thing. In my life, some of my greatest lessons have been learned from my failures, which is why I don’t consider them failures, but essential steps on my journey to success. Also, many times, when I have not achieved the success I was striving for, it actually strengthened me so that later on, I was able to achieve even greater success in that area than I ever thought possible.
Secondly, I don’t believe that success is always a good thing. For instance, if you have to step on or stab someone else in the back in order to climb the ladder of success, that is not good. Neither is having success handed to you without having to work at it. Then you miss out on that sense of accomplishment you get when you have done your homework and gone the extra mile and have been self-disciplined and finally achieve your goal. Also, when you never have any moments of failure, it is hard for you to have compassion for and encourage those who have not yet reached their goal.
Therefore, I believe your attitude towards all the things that happen in between the time you set a goal and the time you achieve it can make a lot of difference, and can either cause you to get discouraged and give up too soon or cause you to learn from your failures, become stronger and help you keep going until you achieve the success you desire. For me, practicing gratitude has made a huge difference in my life, helping me really enjoy the journey.
So those are my thoughts on success and failure. Do you agree? What if you were thankful for the times you did not succeed? Do you think if would make a difference?
(Post your comments below.)
Here’s more details about Jessica and Michelle’s book and the Blog Lovin’ Tour:
For those of you who haven’t heard, the delightful & mega-talented duo of Jessica Swift & Michelle Ward are holding a Declaration of You Blog Lovin’ Tour and I’m thrilled to be a part of it! It’s a big celebration for the launch of their new book, The Declaration on You and we are all celebrating the uniqueness in all of us!
“The Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You’s Blog Lovin’ Tour, which I’m thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more – and join us! – by clicking here.”
