What is one thing you’ve learned this year?
I learned something about personal limitations. I realized that those limitations, if challenged, can sometimes lead down a path which results in failure. I also learned an ugly truth about myself when it became apparent to me that when faced with a failure my gut instinct is to bury my head in the sand in defeat rather than acknowledge the shortcoming and then simply move on. On a lighter note, I discovered that once I pulled my head out of the sand and took note of my surroundings, the mob of angry people that I expected to stone me to death were no where to be found. It’s as if I overacted. As if….
The beautiful thing about most failure is that hidden beneath the wreckage of good intention and misguided effort lies an opportunity to learn and grow. In a way, failure can be quite liberating. Armed with the knowledge that the absolute worst has occurred, only then may you allow yourself to navigate the depths of rock bottom, and in doing so, you may discover something about yourself that you otherwise wouldn’t have.
It’s a hard lesson to learn, and whenever I find that I have not lived up to the expectations of myself or those of others it’s even more difficult to remember. But being the human that I am, I have a suspicion that I will have plenty of opportunities to put it into practice.
____________________
Peter Combs is a 28 year old husband, writer and former foster child. He currently lives with his wife, Renee, in Atlanta, Georgia. Peter is the author of the blog Home.
honest and eloquent and kind.
thank you.