Samuel Beckett said “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
What are you going to fail at today?
Are you going to fail at communicating your message or fail to speak at all?
Are you going to fail to do what’s really important to you, or fail to finish the things which distract you?
So often we don’t begin the things that stretch us, the things that will take us into new ways of being in the world, which excite us.
Because they also scare us. If a dream or vision you have isn’t a bit scary to contemplate, you are not allowing yourself to connect with the bigger dream or vision you have within you.
We fear failure, so we often don’t begin. Or we begin, and feel the enormity of what our vision entails, and give up.
The image of a toddler learning to walk comes to mind. They stand up and wobble and fall, perhaps feel a bit shocked, have a wobbly lip or cry…
And then they get up again. It might be immediately, or in a minute or two, but they get up again.
They keep trying. And they keep falling. And getting up again.
Those early days when they take two or three steps in a row, and know that they’re getting the hang of it, the delight on their faces is priceless.
The falling and the getting up and the falling again have let them know it’s not easy, but they’ve persisted.
You did that too. You took a step, you fell, you cried and felt frustrated. And you got up and tried again
Samuel Beckett continued writing when he couldn’t get his works published, or when they were, but failed to sell. He failed at times to feel he was writing with his own voice, rather than other writers he admired.
So he persisted. He kept doing what he felt inspired to do despite those failures. Because of that, we have his singular plays, poems and prose today.
It doesn’t matter whether you like Samuel Beckett’s writing or not. But his story, and his message are potent reminders for us to know that failure will be part of our story.
But we don’t have to let it be our only story.
And of course, we can question what we determine as failure – sometimes it’s the opportunity to find a different way, a different path, a new perspective on something we really want for ourselves.
What will you try today? Where will you fail, and how will you get up and try again?
Don’t let failure define you. Let it be a natural part of the journey of your heart towards what inspires you most.
Let me know if you’d like help to light your path towards what really inspires you.