So here it goes, it's the shocking Michigan spring snowfall! You know the one.... the one that comes every year, and yet Michiganders are still expecting warm weather immediately for some reason, and delight at dissing Mother Nature. It's an interesting dynamic that I watch unfold every March 20. And, as usual, nature inspires me to reflect on life. Life works and moves this way, doesn't it? Like everything in nature, it ebbs and flows, comes and goes, is sometimes gentle, subtle, and slow, and at other times is powerful, forceful, and urgent. There is a time and place for each display.
This week, the theme here at my house is revolving around a quote that recently inspired me:
“The master fails more than the average person even tries.”
I'm sorry I don't know who said it, but while trying to credit him or her, I found this, also anonymous, one:
“An expert is a [wo]man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a very narrow field.”
And one more that ties the subject up with a bow:
““For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.””
To become a master, failing is part of the plan! "Failing" doesn't indicate some terrible, shameful life circumstance! It indicates that you're on a path headed for mastery, for expertise, for prosperity - if only you will trust that process and embrace what each step can teach you. Yeah, I know it's not always your natural response to delight in the errors, or weather, in life, but I believe it brings you a step closer to well-being when you learn to point your thoughts in that direction, to be present and appreciative of each moment. There's some fine tuning that happens in your heart when your thoughts and feelings are harmonized and aligned with the world around you.
An easy reference point for me has always been that year-long process of watching a baby learn to walk. The process actually starts with tummy time and rolling over (or even before) - mastering one muscle at a time. Ultimately, each one of those muscles are necessary for posture, and each neuron connected in the brain is necessary to coordinate the balance and movement. When that baby strains and tries to roll over, but doesn't quite make it, it has not failed! It has exercised a muscle that a few days later will be strong enough to complete the task. Each time you and I attempt to reach a goal, and don't quite make it, we have not failed! Those life muscles, brain connections, and experiences are part of the process!
It's at the point of your perceived failure that it is most crucial to trust the process, because that point is the easiest place to feel defeated and give up - and it's also where your most valuable information resides. The path toward mastery, expertise, success is complete with directions, you need only to use the mistakes as your guide. Built in GPS. Life is pretty clever... trust your journey toward mastery. Like the process of winter easing into spring, you know it's in progress! Know that the plans for you are not to harm you, but plans to prosper you. Plans to give you hope. Plans to propel your future into mastery. Plans for the winter to melt into spring.