Admitting Failure

It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.

~Bill Gates

**Did you miss the other posts in this series of 31 Days Of Intentional Living?  You can find them here!

Have you ever been in a situation where you wish there was a “redo” button, where you could go back in time and change what happened?  I’ve had more than I can count!  Whether it was snapping at my husband over something trivial, losing my temper with the children (when they were only behaving like children), bad advice I’ve given my friends, binge eating while on a diet, or overspending when I didn’t have the cash in the bank- I have failed.  And these are only a few of the times I’ve failed!

Every person on earth is going to experience failure.   In our culture, success is encouraged and failure is not.  No one wants to fail.  People go to great lengths to avoid failure or to “prove” that the failure is someone else’s fault.  This has gotten so extreme that parents cover up their children’s mistakes in order for them to stay out of trouble or to get better grades.  Parents blame coaches when their children lose ballgames, never giving a second thought that maybe (gasp!) their children aren’t all that athletic to begin with!   If someone gets fired for a job, it’s the daycare’s fault, or a coworkers fault.  We are taught to win at all costs.  However, what does “at all costs” really mean?  What happened to accountability and responsibility?

• When you have an argument, do you always have to be right?  No matter what?
• When you overspend at the mall and fail to stay within budget, do you shrug it off?  Or the next time do you demonstrate more self-control?
• When you lose your temper with your children over something trivial, do you apologize and tell them that you behaved badly while asking for forgiveness?
• Do you wait for your friend to apologize first when you have a disagreement or do you take the initiative?

Our reactions to failure define our character.  By being able to admit failure we are able to live an intentional, healthy life.  We can have fulfilling relationships while learning and growing from our mistakes.

Do you have a hard time admitting failure?  What holds you back?

Have you enjoyed what you read here today?  Do you have friends or other women you know that could benefit from this resource?  If so, please do me a favor!  I have included the links below to share with other intentional women!  They’ll be glad you did!

**Did you miss the other posts in this series of 31 Days Of Intentional Living?  You can find them here!