Dear Failure

We humans, have the need to feel successful. It's a desire that I would bet every person on this planet has. Unfortunately everyone has to fail. We all fail in different places, different occasions, different times, and in different circumstances, but we all fail. Literally everyone one. Some people look at failing as a severely negative thing, and in some ways it is. I however, think that failing is a good thing. It's an awesome time to be able to retrace your actions. It's an opportunity to fix mistakes and reevaluate what needs to be done in order to succeed. Through all of my many failures in life, I have come to learn three ways to turn our failures into successes.

The first thing is I have learned is that we have to take responsibility for our mistakes and our failures. It sucks to admit that you have done something wrong. Sometimes it's painfully hard to apologize to people. It's challenging to admit that you don't know how to do something and ask for help. It hurts to be told that you aren't good enough. "Humble Pie" is the worst tasting pie on this planet. No matter how crummy these things are, we have to do them in order to one day succeed. It's impossible to fix a fail without acknowledging the problem. You can't blame other people for your failures because quite frankly it's your responsibility to fix your problem. Ultimately, you are in charge of your successes and failures, and you are in charge of turning your failures into successes.

The second way to make a success is hoping for the best and planning for the worst. You never know what trials and joys are coming your way. You should expect wonderful and joyful things to come your way. At the same time, you should expect miserable and hard things to come your way. Planning on bad things doesn't make you a pessimist; it simply means you are prepared. People get in the mindset of hoping for the best alllll the time. Optimism is awesome... to a certain degree. You can get to a point where too much optimism is a bad thing. I think a lot of "failures" live in la la land. They can't admit that bad things happen to them, and they hide all of the bad times under a bush and pretend that they don't happen. Now I am definitely not saying that we need to live in fear that bad things are around the corner. We don't need to let the whole world know that we have "the worst life in the entire world."  Like I said previously, we have to HOPE for the best and PLAN for the worst.

The third thing that I have learned to be successful is to ignore all the haters. As cliché as that sounds, it's the truth. Unfortunately there are people in this world who like to take the fun out of everything and make you feel horrible about yourself. Here's one of my favorite stories ever:

Chug chug chug. Puff puff puff. She was a happy little train. Her cars were full of good things for boys and girls. There were all kinds of toy animals. Giraffes with long necks, teddy bears with no necks, and even a baby elephant. There were all kinds of dolls. Dolls with blue eyes and yellow hair, dolls with brown eyes and brown hair, and the funniest toy clown you ever saw. There were toy trucks, airplanes, and boats. There were picture books, games, and drums to play. The little train carried every kind of toy that boys or girls could want.

"How happy the boys and girls will be to see me!" said the little train. “They will like the toys and good food that I am bringing.” But all at once the train came to a stop. She did not move at all. “Oh, dear,” said the little train. “What can be the matter?” She tried to start up again. She tried and tried. But her wheels just would not turn.




Just then a shiny new engine came puffing down another track. “Maybe that engine can help us!” cried the clown. He began to wave a red flag. The Shiny New Engine slowed down. The dolls and toys called out to him. “Our engine is not working,” they said. “Please pull our train over the mountain. If you do not, the boys and girls will not have any toys or good food. The Shiny New Engine was bit friendly. “You want me to pull you?” he asked. “That is not what I do. I carry people. They sit in cars with soft seats. They look out the windows. They eat in a nice dining car. They even sleep in a fine sleeping car. “I pull the likes of you? I should say not!” Off went the Shiny New Engine without another word. How sad all the toys and dolls felt!




Then the toy clown called out, “Here comes another engine. A big, strong one. Maybe this engine will help us.” Again the clown waved his flag. The Big Strong Engine came to a stop. The toys and dolls called out together, “Please help us, Big Strong Engine. Our train is not working. But you can pull us over the mountain. “You must help us. Or the boys and girls will not have any toys to play with or good food to eat.” But the Big Strong Engine did not want o help. “I do not pull toys,” he said. “I pull cars full of heavy logs. I pull big trucks. I have no time for the likes of you.” And away puffed the Big Strong Engine without another word.




By this time the little train was no longer happy. And the dolls and toys were ready to cry. But the clown called out, “Look! Look! Another engine is coming. A little blue engine. A very little one. Maybe this engine will help us.” The Little Blue Engine was a happy engine. She saw the clown waving his red flag and stopped at once. “What is the matter?” she asked in a kind way. “Oh, Little Blue Engine,” cried the dolls and toys. “Will you pull is over the mountain? Our engine is not working. If you do not help, the boys and girls will have no toys or good food. “Just over the mountain. “Please, please help us.” “Oh, my,” said the Little Blue Engine. “I am not very big. And I do not pull trains. I just work in the yards. I have never even been over the mountain.”


The Little Blue Engine looked at the dolls and toys. She could see that they were not happy. She thought about the children on the other side of the mountain. Without toys or good food, they would not be happy either.




The Little Blue Engine pulled up close. She took hold of the little train. The toys and dolls climbed back into their cars. At last the Little Blue Engine said, “I think I can climb up the mountain. I think I can. I think I can.” Then the Little Blue Engine began to pull. She tugged and she pulled. She pulled and she tugged. Puff puff, chug chug went the little engine. “I think I can. I think I can,” she said. Slowly, slowly, the train started to move. The dolls and toys began to smile and clap. Puff Puff, chug chug.

Up the mountain went the Little Blue Engine. And all the time she kept saying, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…” Up, up, up. The little engine climbed and climbed. At last she reached the top of the mountain. Down below lay the city. “Hurray! Hurray!” cried the dolls and animals. “The boys and girls will be so happy,” said the toy clown. “All because you helped us, Little Blue Engine.” The Little Blue Engine just smiled.




I would guarantee that that sweet Little Blue Engine has been told that she isn't worth anything at sometime in her life. I'm sure that the other shiny and strong trains had made fun of her size and have told her that she couldn't do anything. They were so wrong though. For a moment the Little Blue Engine told herself that she was amazing, that she was strong enough to pull the toys up the mountain. She told herself that she was important and that she was worth something. She forgot about all the mean words and doubts that she had, she believed in herself and she successfully got herself up the mountain.

I want to be just like the Little Blue Engine. It's hard to believe in yourself. It's hard to forget the things that people say, it's hard to take responsibility for your actions, and it's hard to plan for future events. No matter how hard those things might be, it's way worth the hard times in order to have a successful outcome. No matter what failures you have been through, just remember how important you are, and remember your worth. Stick your tongue out to the world, and tell them that you CAN DO IT because with Heavenly Father all things are possible.

   

       Sincerely,