Transforming

This week I want to write about transforming what we view as failed experiences into valuable fodder for our future successes. Naturally, it is never pleasant to experience failure, but that does not make it a bad thing. As hard as it may seem to believe, there are benefits to experiencing failure. Personal coaches and top psychologists both agree that we can learn valuable lessons from these experiences that can benefit us in the end.

In my work as an advisor, I strive to help my clients look at their life situations from different angles, by finding opportunities and learning lessons when things don’t come out as planned. One example that comes to mind from a few years back is a client, whom I’ll call Vicki.

Vicki’s hope was to become a fantasy novelist, but that dream was compromised when every agent and publishing house she contacted rejected her first novel. When I first met Vicki, she was in a frustrated and dejected place, and wanted to know what her astrological chart revealed about her professional life. Interestingly, her chart showed a very promising career in the areas of writing and publishing. So, my advice to her was to keep trying and to also explore other ways to utilize her writing talents.

Vicki decided she needed to take a break from focusing on her novel, so she put it away and began volunteering at a local children’s hospital. She became a storyteller and made up all kinds of fantastic adventures to entertain the kids in the children’s ward. I am happy to report that she was well received as a storyteller and was soon writing her stories down to share at other local hospitals.

I bet you can guess the rest. Vicki became a very fulfilled and successful children’s author and is now very happy that she “failed” at writing fantasy novels. Her story is proof that not only can failed experiences encourage us to be more flexible and determined, but that they can also point us in the perfect direction.

I hope Vicki’s story will remain with you so that the next time you feel yourself struggling with the idea of “failure,” you will think differently about it. When you open yourself up to the gifts the Universe brings, you can find amazing opportunities.

We all have paths to choose and follow! Give yourself a pat on the back for moving along the path to success and keep on moving forward until you get it right.