Successful People Fail

Sometimes I can be my biggest obstacle to success. What about you? I believe I have a very strong work ethic but there are times when quitting seems so tempting. Then I think about what I want to instill in my kids and it's no longer an option. My parents never let us quit anything... I mean anything. I remember wanting to do the swim team one summer. I was really good at every sport I tried so I just assumed I'd be awesome at swim team and love it. My dad signed me up, I went to the first practice...I HATED it! I know hate is a strong word and I'm using it very wisely. I told him I didn't want to swim and I hated it and he said, "we'll, that will just make it all the more an accomplishment when you complete the season." I was so angry. But I finished the entire season (still hating it) and he was right. I was so proud of myself for getting through something that was not only harder than normal for me but something I hated. It's easy to do things we love but takes character to stick with things we can't stand or things that are really hard. That is what I want my children to know.

So I was thinking about the difference between quitting and failing and this is the conclusion I came up with:

Quitters see failure and use it as an excuse to not do something they didn't want to or think they couldn't do in the first place. Successful people see failure as an opportunity to grow, learn, and better themselves while accomplishing something they may have thought they never could have done. They do this knowing the end result will be well worth every skinned hand and bruised knee and possibly, ego. Successful people don't quit. They get back up time, after time, after time. That's the difference. There is nothing wrong with failing. It just means you are trying and need to keep going. Quitting is the problem. You can never move forward toward your desired goals if you're not moving at all.

What is it that's keeping you from reaching your goals? Don't quit; keep moving forward. Teach your children that life is often not fun or easy but there is a great sense of accomplishment and an immense amount of growth in character that can come when we "do all things as unto The Lord and not unto men" (Col 3:23).

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