to the failures
May 15th, 2006
(today spent looking for a retro classic modern font)
Ask yourself this question: “Would I have ever gotten started with this project, relationship, career, etc. if I had to do it all over again, knowing what I now know?” If your answer is no, then get out as soon as possible.
There is no honor in dedicating your life to the pursuit of a goal which no longer inspires you. You must constantly re-assess your present situation to accurately decide what to do next. Whatever you’ve decided in the past is largely irrelevant if you would not renew that decision today.
Reading this article made me realise why career conversations with my parents (or my mother) are simply fruitless. We are not even on the same page. No matter how much I try to explain my point of view, our ideas never meet. And nothing really hurts as much as lack of support from your parents.
Where do we get this “life is short, make the most of it” -mindset? Maybe it’s the way my generation thinks. Maybe it’s the events we live through; surviving a serious illness (check), a best friend dying unexpectedly at sixteen (check). Life events that make us take stock. Or maybe it is simply a question of personality.
I think it is courageous, how young people dare to dream, and try, and fail. Especially these days when degree doesn’t equal a career anymore, and it’s probable we will never be as well off financially as our parents. I am sick of all this talk about us being unrealistic and spoilt. It is so much harder than you think! So shut up, and let us fail our own lives.
[/ vent]
Most people seem to have an innate fear of failure, but failure is really your best friend. People who succeed also fail a great deal because they make a lot of attempts. The great baseball player Babe Ruth held the homerun record and the strikeout record at the same time. Those who have the most successes also have the most failures. There is nothing wrong or shameful in failing. The only regret lies in never making the attempt.