A lack of success towards a goal can build character and resilience. Many of the people who are what we consider successful have failed time and time again. Thomas Edison was asked after trying to make a light bulb over 9000 times if he felt like a failure and he said, “Why would I feel like a failure and why would I ever give up? I now know over 9000 ways an electric light bulb will not work. Success is almost in my grasp.” There are countless other examples of people who did not let a set back stop them from their becoming…Meryl Streep, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Jay-Z, J.K. Rowling…the list goes on and on.

There are times when I know that there is a resounding undeniable truth because it comes out in situation after situation and when discussed people get that light bulb look in their eye and shake their heads in agreement. Here is what it is….

THE GOAL TO ATTAIN PERFECTIONISM IS THE QUICKEST PATH TO SHAME, because there is no such thing as perfect, you will never be good enough and you will always fail. Shame is the worst human emotion.

On the other hand you can take a look at the things that have not gotten you to where you ultimately want to be and call them “failures” or “mistakes” or “imperfections.” But if you can embrace that all paths have lessons and there is not a direct line to success without learning then you get to look at your disappointments and learn and grow, which is the gift of being human. The knowing that you will have “failure” in your road to success and knowing that as you grow from each “failure” you become a better healthier human is a mindset. It is a powerful healthy mindset that allows you to love yourself and others and to be in a state of growth. So take every misstep as a seed that has been planted in your eventual beautiful garden of life.

I advise you to embrace the imperfection of being human and create an attitude of growth in you and others by learning from your challenges and mistakes. So take the challenge and don’t hide from the times you didn’t finish at the top of the heap but acknowledge the experience and figure out what gifts it has given you towards where you ultimately would like to be. And remember life is not a destination, it’s a journey.

Read more at One Way To Avoid Shame - Psychological Associates of the Rockies