Failure?

Good Morning!

DO YOU EVER BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW?

That phrase doesn't refer to how much food you put on your plate and eat. Rather it refers to your how much you put on your 'life's plate'. Are you piling on more than you can honestly handle? I sometimes find myself doing that. I get inspired, motivated, and excited to accomplish a variety of things--only to find out that what my brain dictates that I should do and what I actually accomplish are two very different things. It sometimes causes me to feel as though I've failed myself.

I found an interesting post on one of my special girlfriend's blogs. She has a perpetual calendar by Charles Stanley - a pastor, an author, and motivational speaker. It made a big impression on me and I thought I'd post it here below (she gave her blessing and I thank Charles Stanley as well).

Let me give a little bit of background on Angie's aspirations. She is turning 40 very soon and set a HUGE goal to run a 25K on 5/8/10. She announced her intentions back in December '09. GO GIRL!

Angie is also a wife, mom, and works full-time. BUSY as ever...with work and commitments to her family and church too. So--she has been blogging about her intentions and how she had to learn to scale them back. If you want to follow more of her story, click on the link below:

www.angiesracetoward40.blogspot.com

FAILURE

Those who have succeeded have not internalized their failures. They have not thought less of themselves personally for having failed. They have refused to think of themselves as failures or worthless. Failure is something they have done but not something they are. This is a huge difference. In some cases, failures have spurred them on to try harder or to explore new avenues. Those who allow failure to be internalized often give up in their failures and refuse to take the risk of failing again. One of the most important lessons you will ever learn is this: failure is something you do, not something you are."

I really needed to read that, as I have been feeling like a failure for switching to the 10K instead of the 25K. I've felt like I set this big goal, made it very public (it was in the DeMeester family Christmas letter, for Pete's sake!), and now I'm not fulfilling on it. I was feeling like I was a failure for that.

However, in seeing this, it's helped me to understand that I'm not a failure for changing my goal. I'm still reaching for something that was beyond my grasp 6 months ago. I'm still doing something many of my peers can't do (or maybe don't want to do! LOL!). I'm still doing something to better myself and stretch myself... to remind me I'm alive and blessed with the health to set a goal like a 10K. And, no one says I can't run longer later.. I plan to...just not on May 8.
:-)

So, I hope that post might speak to you like it spoke to me. If you internalize, like I've been known to - KNOCK IT OFF! :-) Failure is something we do, not something we are! :-)

To which I say "Amen, Angie!" You 'hit the nail on the head' with that one!

Rock your day!

Kim(mie)