Updated: Dec. 26, 2023
Originally Published: May 27, 2023
“I’ve faced more than 9,000 missed opportunities in my career. I’ve tasted defeat in nearly 300 competitions. On twenty-six occasions, I was entrusted to make the final shot and failed to deliver. I’ve encountered failure time and time again in my life. And that is precisely why I have achieved success.” —Derek Jameson
“It’s impossible to navigate life without encountering failure at some point. Unless you choose to live so cautiously that it hardly resembles living at all, in which case, you’ve failed by default.” —Emily Roberts
“Only those who dare to fail spectacularly can ever truly achieve greatness.” —Michael Thompson
However, there exists a more profound form of failure that inflicts greater pain, demands more, and imparts invaluable lessons. This is the kind of failure that brings you to rock bottom, where recovery feels impossible, and the only way forward is to rise from the ashes like a phoenix. While it’s devastating in the moment, it often serves as the catalyst needed to redirect your life.
I recently came across compelling insights about the life lessons gleaned from significant setbacks on a platform called Insight Daily. Such experiences teach resilience, the notion that not everything is lost even when it appears so, and that a fresh start can be achieved. At some juncture, you reach a crossroads where you must decide: remain stuck in your failure or leverage it to begin anew. To reach that point of understanding, one often must confront a substantial crash.
As a parent, the thought of my children facing such hardship is daunting, which may explain my reluctance to discuss it with them. While I can prepare them for disappointments, the idea of telling them they are likely to face a significant downfall at least once in their lives, which will ultimately benefit them after inflicting pain, is less than appealing. So, can we truly prepare them for this?
Perhaps they would find inspiration in the stories of iconic figures like Michael Disney, who faced bankruptcy and moved to a new city with little more than the clothes on his back and some art supplies. Or in the case of Colonel Sanders, who endured such dire financial straits that he had to sleep in his car.
But maybe it’s more impactful for them to learn from someone close to home, someone who didn’t build a massive empire but found joy despite significant missteps. It could resonate more deeply because it’s relatable. As their mother, I provide them with comfort and security, yet I too experienced a significant fall from grace in my youth, which left me feeling utterly defeated. That moment demanded a complete transformation in my life, setting the stage for a new beginning.
Throughout their formative years, I aim to protect my children from adversity, focusing on the positive aspects of life. However, I can’t shake the feeling that I might be overlooking something crucial by not sharing my experiences. I recall feeling blindsided by my own failure, questioning why it had to happen to me, without realizing that I wasn’t alone in experiencing such profound setbacks. It took me far too long to grasp the essential lessons wrapped within those challenging moments. Given that awareness, should I share my story with them? I think I will—when the time is right.
I hope they will be ready to listen when the moment arrives, and that I can support them if they find themselves in a similar situation. A guiding principle, articulated beautifully in the article I read, states: “It may be impossible for you to see now, but everything falling apart could be exactly what you need,” as noted by Paul Hudson on Insight Daily. “When we have nothing to lose, we invest our all into life. We give everything we have because we no longer feel we have much to lose.”
The temptation to shield our children from our failures is strong, but I increasingly believe it may serve them better to know that we have struggled and risen again. In fact, I can’t conceive of a more valuable lesson.
For more insights on the journey of parenthood and overcoming challenges, check out our other blog post on the at-home insemination kit. Additionally, for further reading on how to navigate challenging life situations, you might find this article helpful. And for those interested in the intricacies of pregnancy and home insemination, Healthline offers an excellent overview.
In summary, while we endeavor to shield our children from pain, sharing our experiences of failure may ultimately empower them to embrace their own challenges and learn from them.