Dear Lifelines;
I just failed an exam and am feeling really low. It's hard for me to feel any sense of pride anymore. I feel like a failure.
Signed,
Failing to figure it out
Dear Failing to Figure:
Sometimes it seems like one moment in time defines our entire existence. When things seem important at the time, it’s hard to look past some of our experiences for what they are - just one brief moment in time. It's good to reflect and consider how much importance this particular incident would hold if you reflected on it a year from now, 10 years from now, 100 years from now - would it really have the same impact? Changing our perspective in this way can help us gain a bit of insight into the meaning of our experience. How would a highly successful individual – like Leonardo da Vinci or Albert Einstein view your experience - would they just shrug it off and get on with life? Would they use this experience to challenge themselves in exploring a different, more creative journey? Life might instead become more about how we respond to the things that we go through than the actual experience itself. As we are faced with challenges, we then have the ability to gain a better understanding about our skills, talents and what brings us satisfaction. We can take that knowledge and make more informed decisions in the future so that it might lead us to a more productive, gratifying existence.
So instead of weighing the event so heavily, perhaps try lightening its value and look for other opportunities that might reveal themselves as you come to grips with your circumstances and redefine your goals. Remember that we all experience disappointment, all feel like we could do better sometimes. In fact, this very incident might be the impetus to help propel you into a situation in which you can truly excel, exceeding even your wildest expectations. So stay strong and keep moving forward without dwelling too much on issues along the way. Remember, it's just one moment in time.
Lifelines
Steve Jobs