...making the failures a distant memory.

I know someone who has so very much on her mind. It affects her physically. Headaches. Being tired. I tell her, she can’t do it all. And that if she's afraid of failure, she mustn’t be. She must learn to accept her limitations. She doesn't have to do it all. She doesn't have to be everything to everybody. That won’t make her any less of a human being. We all fail. Miserably, sometimes. I tell her that positively. I tell her to think success. But sometimes, success is to fail and to accept it. To understand that failing is a part of life. We can’t always be successful, so to speak. I had a dream recently. An uncomfortable dream. A bothersome dream. I felt the sting of failure. As if it was shameful. And upon waking, I told myself, “No, it’s not shameful to fail.” And I said, “Jim, if you fail, find something, some endeavor, some act, some pursuit in which you can and do succeed. In your human relationships.” One must learn to understand that often successes spring from failures in life. I told my friend she's had success with me. And with others. With all sorts of people, I suspect. Now focus on your successes, and not your failures, I said. Have confidence in yourself. Know that you’ve impressed me. And others, too. You’re moving in the right direction. You are getting your life together. Sure, you may keep failing in some aspects of your life. Do you think for a moment that others don't feel the sting of failure? Remember, we all fail. Often, we fail each other. But man oh man, we also succeed. We learn to bounce back. We learn to get on with our lives. We make reasonably happy lives for ourselves. That’s how we succeed. You have that capacity, too. A capacity for success. In your human relationships. Maybe not in every one of ‘em. But at least in one or two or three. That’s all one needs. Don’t ask for more than that. A handful of successes will suffice…making the failures a distant memory. --Jim Broede