...an F word

:) no no not the curse word...
Failure used to be the worst F word (in my opinion). Loved by few, feared by most, experienced by all at one point or another. Recently it seems that I'm seeing this F word more frequently in many blogs and business articles, it has even been emphasised in course content. Even more shocking is that sometimes this F word is viewed as good! *clutches chest* Failure?!?!? Good?!?!?!? SHOCK!!! (not really).

It seems that this very feared and once widely avoided and villianised concept of failure is not the beast we need to avoid; instead, what we need to avoid is maintaining the mindset that caused the failure in the first place. Failure may be regarded as a concept because it takes the shape of each situation; there is no black and white criteria for it (even with grades). The newer school of thought has identified failure as not such a bad thing. Many times it is from close calls with failure, fear of failure, other person's failures, personal failures that our greatest successes become realised. I think of it as the cocoon that the caterpillar has to go into before it becomes the beautiful butterfly.

It seems that change is inevitable, we are faced with many different challenges on a daily basis and as the world has gotten smaller the driver (change) has begun to force many persons out of the all inclusive "comfort zone" mindset. The road tends to have many potholes (failures) and although these are to be avoided for obvious reasons; damage to finances, family life and other things, when it does happen, failure is to be regarded with great care, pulled apart and examined so we learn and grow. It appears that failure can be a good thing after all! This is not to say we should aim to fail, quite the opposite, but if we do fail or we seem near to fail we should stop, examine and learn from said situation, solicit the advice of others and bloom!

SB

...looking in from outside

Many of us tend to wonder what it's like to be in other person's shoes but have we ever wondered what persons would experience if they were in our shoes? This may sometimes be difficult to imagine because in the words of Bob Marley; "every man thinks that his burden is the heaviest". I would dare to say that it would be quite interesting to see how another person would approach things that I have had to grapple with or have been able to accomplish. Many times the very answer we seek is right in front of us but we become so distracted with everything else that it remains lost in plain sight.

This sounds a little crazy; but every time I am having a difficult time overcoming an issue I tend to look at other persons who have faced similar situations and have found ways to overcome said issues and I think..."why not me?". It was this very method of thinking that helped me survived one of the lowest points in my life to date. When faced with the reality of losing my mother who became in recent times one of my closest friends, I remembered a young lady who lost her mother when we were in high school. This young lady forged ahead past the grief and pain to become a very successful person. So... why not me? As I watched my mother take her last breath, my will to succeed strengthened  because although she was gone, I had to make my biggest cheerleader proud. So, once again... why not me? It is this very question that has helped me to push myself beyond where I thought I could go and do things I never thought possible in that short space of time.

In the end, another man's shoes may fit differently, it's best to walk in your own, try as best as possible to make your "shoes" fit. Many times the very struggles we watch others go through are waters we have tread before or will tread eventually. In good and bad times instead of asking why me? Think about the persons who have gone on before and say... why not me? What am I to learn from this? Where will I go in these shoes?

Walk good
SB

...the perfect idea

It has been a thought of mine lately that with the job market being the way it is, the only way I will be able to "make it" is by embracing my inner entrepreneur...wherever she is. I cannot begin to tell you how many blogs I've read or stories I've listened to or seen in the paper about persons leaving the corporate world to embrace a new career as a baker, stylist, translator, business person etc. There was even one story I read about a young woman selling all but one piece of furniture so she could turn her home into a bakery and realize her dream of becoming a caterer of fine pastries. It occured to me that the common threads in every story are a need to be met, passion, a dream and utter frustration (yes, frustration).
Although many of the heroes/heroines of these stories were aware that they were faced with various adversities, they were passionate enough and frustrated enough to leave their other jobs behind or ignore any discouragement in order to pursue their dream. Every time I read such stories I wonder, why not me? What could I be awesome at? What could make my idea the best there is? What resources do I have to pursue such a venture? Many agencies offer help in the form of loans and business pairings to "small business" operators, so why be afraid to take the first step?...I'm still trying to answer that question. So far I've wanted to make syrup, candles, environmentally friendly packaging, do interior design, make soap, sell hair, make burlap market bags, bake cheesecake and cookies... I could go on forever... My problem, it seems, is that practical Justine always steps in analyses the situation :) and dismisses the idea.
It appears that practicality, in my case, may be a hindrance to finding my "mojo". It may also mean that I'm not frustrated enough. Nevertheless, I am still thinking of my perfect idea. I have faith that it will come one day; it may even come, like most of my ideas, in my sleep. Until then I will continue to add to my available resources so that when the perfect idea comes, I'll be ready to get up and go!
Much thanks to my friend ultimatebrowning for inspiring me by giving me the little nudge I needed to begin blogging.
See you soon!