The key to success is making mistakes…and learning from them. I had my first job as a manager at 21 years old. I managed a small staff of women who were all 10-30 years my senior. I was a new manager and struggled with many things. I kept the job for three years, and most of the time I was frustrated and unhappy. But looking back, I learned and grew as a person in those years.
All the disappointments and challenges prepared me for the bigger and better things that came in the years after that job. Those experiences forced me to grow, to know myself better, to gain self-confidence, and to face my weaknesses and insecurities. Many times I could have handled things better, and other times the outcome was beyond my control. But, at the time, I was really hard on myself for being less than perfect. Before then, I had never experienced failure, frustration, or even a major setback.
Looking back, I’m proud of myself for getting out alive! I refused to give up and used each challenge as a stepping stone. In the Buddhist tradition, difficulties are considered to be so important to a life of growth and peace that a Tibetan prayer actually asks for them. It says, “Grant that I may be given appropriate difficulties and sufferings on this journey so that my heart may truly awaken and my practice of liberation and universal compassion may be fulfilled.”
Difficult times are opportunities for genuine growth.
Life coach Cheryl Richardson offers these questions to help identify a positive outcome in a challenging situation:
1. If this were happening to strengthen a part of me, which part would it be?
2. What can I learn from this experience?
3. Who can help me transform this disappointment into an opportunity?
4. How can I use what I’ve learned from this disappointment to help others?
photo by wisconsinhiker
