When I think about words of wisdom that changed my way of thinking, I will always remember the words spoken to me by a teacher; “One day, you’ll have to fail at something, and when that happens you’re just going to have to deal with it.” They didn’t seem to be much more than playful teasing at the time, but they still ring true years later. Growing up, I viewed failure as the end. There was no hope for redemption, if you failed, that was it. It was over. Looking back, this world view may seem a little extreme, but to a narrow minded child, failure was obsolete. At the time I didn’t know any better. I was the model child, the kid who brought home straight A’s, who never got a call home from the office, who was a pleasure to have in class. These little words of praise I became accustomed to as a child developed into a necessity as I grew older. I had begun to base my worth on what I could achieve rather than who I was as a person. I had to be the model child because I didn’t know who I was otherwise. This dependency on encouragement I had created meant I had no way to view myself or my work objectively. Nothing I did or said had value until someone told me it did. I was only as good as other people thought I was. The problem with this mindset is that it’s an endless and draining cycle. The better you do, the greater your own and other people's expectations are, and the harder you push yourself.
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