I have written in the past about my good enemies Resistance, Procrastination, Anger and Doubt. Why not now consider the possibility of befriending Failure? Allow for the possibility that Failure could be a companion rather than an enemy on this journey called life?
I see Failure walking with me as my enemy, putting me down, stomping out ideas just as they are blooming, pushing me over the edge of creative cliffs where there is no place to land, or just plain stopping me in my tracks, removing any possibility for forward momentum. Yikes! A formidable foe for sure.
“Imagine you are a detective in the cast of ‘The Great Failure Mystery,’” Donna Kozik asked in the form of a writing prompt. I thought of Sherlock Holmes.
What if Failure were just my quirky sidekick, like Watson, walking along side me with a mischievous grin? Instead of fearing her like an unwelcome guest, I could treat her like an old buddy who showed up uninvited, irritated the begezzus out of me and then left me with a most profound lesson.
I once had a friend ask me why people didn’t see the gift she gave them with anger? I didn’t understand that concept for a long time, it confused me and left me wondering if that wasn’t just an excuse she used for pissing people off.
It took a while, but I began noticing how anger would throw me so off center that the lesson came in finding my way back into balance again.
I think Failure is that friend that sneaks into my life unannounced and unapologetic. She jumps right into the middle of my plans or projects and turns them upside down, making me question everything I thought I knew or could do or was planning on doing.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this “friend” Failure lately. She shows up in so many disguises, wears different hats, and crazy silly yet enticing expressions to lure me down her favorite roads.
I have come to the conclusion this past week, that instead of resisting Failure’s presence and denying that she has come into my space, I am going to give Failure a warm embrace, welcome the lesson she brings, learn as best I can from her, and send her on down the road.
You see, hanging out with Failure while resisting it, gives her the upper hand in our relationship. It feels like Failure wins, and I get sent off down a different road or off to the corner, or buried deep under the covers.
What do you think?
Failure = Friend? Or Foe?
Reflection is a wonderful mirror for my remembering; the successes and the failures.
What I am choosing in this moment, is to dance with my friend Failure. I will remember those moments of unsuccessful stumbling as I remember the strength it took to stand back up and get crackin’ again. I choose to acknowledge each one of those “failures,” not as obstacles but as steppingstones along the way.
I am going to repaint the picture I have of Failure. Instead of a quirky sidekick, she will now be a wise old sage nudging me forward. Her presence, when I become aware of her, will be a reminder for me to slow down, narrow my vision, take a closer look, and pay attention to my surroundings (people and places). She will remind me to laugh at my mistakes and to find humor in the absurdity of my own expectations (and those I take on that belong to others).
Failure will remind me that perfection is an illusion and that the real magic in my life lies in my ability to make mistakes, to stumble, and to embrace imperfection all while getting back up, making those sacred pivots, and movin’ on.
Failure will no longer scare me like the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ I have been conditioned to fear. She will instead become a friend who walks with me sharing the real and the rough, the highs and the lows, the joys and the sorrows.
Can you “feel” the freedom that comes with befriending Failure? The freedom to live your life authentically, unafraid of taking risks.
Will you befriend Failure and dance with the unknown?
As you navigate the twists and turns in your life, those sacred pivots, I hope you will consider this unique perspective; that Failure, in all of its messy glory, could be the friend you never knew you needed, the one that in the end, helps you become the hero of your own glorious story.
Cheers to the adventure.
***
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Are you seeking a writing experience that goes beyond traditional writing workshops that teach you how to write, but one that involves free writing, shamanic journeying, and tapping into the elemental energy of the AZ desert and meet your write’s soul.
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Vicki Dobbs is a bold and adventurous warrior walking a path of heart to manifest spirituality in everyday lives. She opens existential gateways for individuals to face their challenges and embrace these tests as the great teachers that they are.
Her goal is to see everyone walk in beauty and balance every day of their lives empowered by the voice of their own authentic truth.
Through Wisdom Evolution and Sacred Wisdom Workshops, Vicki creates opportunities for others to make deep personal changes through experiential classes, ceremony, sacred art and story. She endeavors to inspire others to create their lives intentionally. Vicki is an Inspirator of everyday awareness, an Instigator of spontaneous stories and a Connoisseur of Creativity. Gratitude and grace sprinkled with humility and humor are the medicine she brings to the world.
As an Elder, Teacher and Entrepreneur, Spiritual Coach, Ordained Minister and Crafter of Sacred Art and Tools, Vicki perceives life’s journey as an ever-upward spiraling ascension of the human spirit leading her to wisdom, wholeness and authenticity.
Her experience includes being trained in the Harner Method of Shamanic Counseling and the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition of Cross Cultural Shamanism. She is a Graduate Teacher and Mentor with the Lynn Andrews Center For Sacred Arts and Training and has been the Administrator and Writers Guide for Writing Spirit, the School.
Vicki is also an Artist of the Spirit Certified Spiritual and Energetic Life Coach, a Graduate Mentor in the AoS program and a founding member of HeatherAsh Amara’s Warrior Goddess Leadership Team and Facilitator of the Warrior Heart Practice.
Connect with Vicki here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vickildobbsauthor
