A Few Things I No Longer Believe

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a [woman], I put away childish things" (1 Corinthians 13:11).

Growing up as the youngest of ten children, I shared many beliefs common to kids. The magic, however, faded early for me.

I stopped believing in Santa Claus around age seven. As for the tooth fairy, did I even have one? I'm the youngest, remember?

I'm not sure I ever bought into the Easter Bunny. At age 10, I vividly recall stuffing my own Easter basket with my sister because my mom was working the graveyard shift.

I loved the idea of superheroes and hoped that someday I could learn to fly like them. But in time, I came to know they were just for fun and not real.

I still wished on stars and blew out birthday candles, hoping all my dreams would come true. They did, but mostly from hard work, not magic.

But the most profound belief I've let go of as I've gotten older is the concept of failure. I've realized that failure, as we often define it, doesn't actually exist.

What about you? Do you believe in failure? Are you living your life trying to avoid it? When you make mistakes or decide to quit something, do you label it failure?

If you're open to it, I'd love for you to consider the idea that failure doesn't exist.

When a baby is learning to walk and falls, is that failure? No! It's just learning. Falling and pushing themselves up again and again helps them get stronger so they can walk.

If someone is learning a new song on the piano and messes up, is that failure? No, that's practice. Making mistakes and fixing them is how we learn.

This principle is universal: everything we pursue is either helping us or teaching us. In other words, it is workingforus oronus.

You can choose to stop working on something because you want to, not because you failed. You learned a lot from your efforts, and now you can move on.

If you weren't afraid of failure, what might you try? Would you start a new hobby, get a better job, pursue a new relationship?

As you enjoy your summer and consider new possibilities, remember that every experience helps you grow. Just like the boogie man, failure doesn't exist. So, you don't need to fear it.

Embrace the challenges that come and be proud of your progress, regardless of the outcome.