Life… It seems to go from worrying about whether your mum was going to make you chicken nuggets or vegetables for dinner that night, to worrying about literally everything possible in the world (you’ll all relate to ‘did I leave my straighteners on this morning?’) Being a worrier is something that was genetically passed down to me from my great grandma, to my grandma, to my mum, and then to me. We’re a family of worriers. Generations of us. We worry about everything – even the small things in life like getting somewhere at a certain time, or standing on three grates in a row, or did I say something stupid earlier? It’s a headache and a half.
But one thing I worry about the most? Failing. Fail: to not succeed in what you are trying to achieve or are expected to do.
As a self-proclaimed over-achiever (I’ll allow you to roll your eyes), I’ve never been in a position before that has allowed me to fail. I’ve always been the annoying go-getter that won’t quit and will always finish a task to win the gold medal at the end. You’re probably imagining my mum like someone from the cast of Dance Moms, but actually my parents were super laid back and let me do whatever I wanted to on my own terms rather than literally whip the competitiveness out of me – unfortunately that for me has always just come naturally. I love to have my eyes on the prize, work for something and know that I have earned it and continuously better myself, but what happens when one day that just stops? What happens when you hit a brick wall and actually, you are in a position to fail?
It’s a hard pill to swallow, but life is never supposed to go in one smooth direction for it’s whole course. Surely one day, we have to find something that sets us off course and steers us down a whole new path – what else would challenge us and help us learn who we are?
It’s ok to fail. It’s ok to feel like you’ve lost yourself a little and your ‘life navigation’ is a little off. We can’t be perfect all the time and neither can our lives. It’s ok to put your hands up and say ‘yeah, I’ve actually messed up this time and I need to start over or trying something new’.
Nicki Minaj was fired from every job she had until she became a recording artist, and sporting endless ridiculously cool pairs of Oliver Peoples sunglasses. Robert Downey Jnr became an addict following early career success, before getting clean and becoming the Iron Man we all know and love now. Lisa Kudrow was fired from ‘Frasier’ before finding fame on ‘Friends’. Marilyn Monroe was told by model casters that she should give up and become a secretary. Anna Wintour was fired from Harper’s Bazaar for being too edgy in the earlier days of her career.
People mess up sometimes, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do better next time. There’s a reason most motivational quotes tell you to not give up, to keep on going and get back up. Life’s going to keep on going without you, so you may as well get in and take a ride. If failure is what it takes to realize what you’re really made for, then why beat ourselves up over a hurdle, when we can climb the hill.
Who knew I could be so wise, huh? Onwards and upwards!