In my
syllabi, I put a quote by Bruce Lee: “Don’t fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the
crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.” I love this quote. I love it because I live it all the
time. I fail constantly. It’s just part of the game, part of life. But the
reason I fail so often is because I am reaching. I am trying something new, trying
to extend past my limits.
Past
the boundaries, in those uncharted territories, there will be missteps. I will
fail; often. And I’m fine with that because I know that it’s something great.
Moreover, failure is not final. Failure is not the end of the journey, it’s not
a cause to stop, but a message to try again because, eventually, I will not fail. I will overcome and master,
turning that failure into success.
And
then, after I pat myself on the back, take a bow, take a nap, I’ll get up and
start it again. I’ve always got something new on the horizon to strive for.