The Best Way I Know To Deal With Failure

My son/daughter,

I know how you must be feeling right now. Small, defeated, shaken and questioning yourself. And ashamed that everybody sees it.

Like you can no longer trust your own two legs, your own opinions, your own ideas and thoughts. That maybe…just maybe…other people are right, and you’ve been wrong all along.

I want you to try, with every once of life you have left, to resist this “questioning” of yourself. I want you to stand tall, if even only for a few seconds. Raise your head high, even though you may not feel worthy. Do it, close your eyes, take a deep breath in…

And now listen to my words.

Breathe deep, then let it out slow. As you do, feel your body and your breath. Feel your breath with everything.

Use the skin, the hands, the hair…the feet to feel your river of breath.

Notice your mind calming down.

What you are feeling right now, at this very moment, this deep feeling of your true self…this is all you have in your life.

Right now. What you feel, right now.

This precious feeling is one you can trust, above all else.

It is deep within you. A sense of truth and light that seems to come from every fiber of your being and that you cannot explain. Don’t try to explain it. Just let it be. Appreciate it. Learn to listen to it.

This feeling is the sun. Your sun. Never, ever forget it is there.

Understand that people in this world who have lost their sun. These people will try to use your failures against you, robbing you of this special feeling.

Don’t let them.

Do not let a small failure steal your light away from you. You’ll be giving up the only thing you truly have. Once it’s gone, it can never be replaced, like a precious vase you’ve dropped and shattered into 1000’s of pieces upon the hard floor.

When your sun is gone, you will spend your life empty and looking for something inferior, something cheaper, to take it’s place.

People will try to sell you replacements, they will try to give you a new dimmer sun, but it will always feel wrong. There will be a difference that will never quite fit right.

When it’s gone, it’s gone.

But now…now you have yours. Don’t forget this.

There will be many times in life where you fail, and that failure will feel like a thick fog where you cannot see the sun at all.

But as long as you remember you have your own light, you will dissolve even the thickest fog of failure. You’ll be left with a clear, beautiful day where you’ll feel energy and life and excitement again.

The fog will return, and you’ll do it over…

And over…

And over once more.

This is the cycle of life.

It is not something to be avoided, but experienced.

So do not run from failure, but embrace it. Accept that fog and the fear and the doubt will happen to you.

But always…always remember…

…you have your sun.

To life, amigos.

Josh