Live Like the Honey Badger: Principle 8

This is the eighth in a series of posts entitled, Live Like the Honey Badger. On Fridays, I address one aspect of developing confidence, self-worth, a fearless nature and the like. Previous weeks are linked below.

Principle 1: Honey Badger Don't Care
Principle 2: Accept Yourself. Your Whole Self
Principle 3: Surround Yourself With Honey Badgers
Principle 4: Break the Mold
Principle 5: It's Not Selfish. It's Self Fulfilling 
Principle 6: It's Your Life. Take Responsibility
Principle 7: Find Your Strengths and Play to Them

Principle 8: Embrace Failure

I know this might be hard to believe, but I am not perfect.

I make mistakes.
I stumble.
I fail.

Sometimes, things are so catastrophic that I don't know how I am going to pick up the pieces and move on. In those moments, it would be easier to quit, to believe that I'll never be enough, to just stop trying.

But, then I remember that taking the easy way out is just a quick fix. No one ever got to where they wanted to be by following that path. And if you take the easy way out often enough, you'll be left unfulfilled, complacent and questioning why everyone else is so much better off than you are.

So, instead giving up, I dust myself off and try again. Maybe I change my methods or tactics, but I don't let my mistakes and failures define me. I embrace those missteps and use them to push me forward. I don't let them limit me, instead, I trust that what happens in a single moment is not an accurate reflection of who I am as a whole.

I am not my past and I will not let it hold me back.

Unfortunately, some people will. 

As a society, we need to realize that failures are just as important as successes and there is no shame in losing. Learning to overcome hardship is a valuable lesson that will get you a lot further than being number one or meeting all of your goals. Let's face it, there can only be one winner and some days, in fact, most days, it's not going to be you. That doesn't mean there isn't value in all that you do.

An accomplishment is an accomplishment no matter how small. And within every failure, there is something to be learned. You just need to frame it in the proper context.

Embrace failure. Chances are it's the stepping stone to your greatest success.

success = perfection?

"The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success."

That was my senior quote. I'm not really sure what made me pick it. Maybe, it just sounded profound to my 17 year old self. Truth is, I'm actually alright with success - especially when I am the one dictating the criteria of what makes something successful.

As a mother, a runner and a human being, in general, I'm constantly striving for success. The quest for success keeps me committed to my goals. Just as much as the fear of failure keeps me motivated to achieve them.

Success feels easy. It's comfortable. It's something you carry with pride.

Failure, on the other hand, is hard. It's painful. It's something you try to hide away.

They seem like polar opposites, but I think they are actually quite intertwined. And, running is the perfect example of this.

Have you ever finished a race and been 100% successful? I haven't. Even if I accomplish my goals or have an amazing performance, I almost always come up with something that could have improved upon. Some slight failure that if eliminated would have made me faster or stronger or better or more successful.

And maybe that's what makes success so hard to handle - the sheer fact that it is often equated with perfection. But, they are not the same thing. And they shouldn't be.

Perfection is unattainable.

Success is what happens when you accept that you are good enough. When you relish in your accomplishments and take pride in your achievements.

You set the standards for your own success. Be successful.