Chocolate Fudge Cake

There’s this line from the Natasha Bedingfield song ‘Unwritten’ that says we’ve being conditioned to not make mistakes. It’s true. We have. Everything is geared towards making us as close to perfect as possible. (Like a product from a factory. Unfortunately, we can’t be recalled when a flaw is detected! LOL!) There’s nothing wrong with that. We are human and we must shed our flaws as we learn and grow. However, to be denied failure is to be denied our humanity.

Failure is a pleasure. I love the idea that I can try something and fail and that it’s ok. It takes away most of the fear of the unknown and there’s this great feeling of possessing the gift to try. I remember primary school and being pinched or given chocolates (Pen hits on the tips of your fingers. Very painful by the way) for getting 96%. Yah, imagine! I should have been getting congratulated for the 96% I got right but there I was getting the third degree for the 4% I got wrong. Did it make me a slightly insane perfectionist not easily satisfied and somewhat a workaholic? Of course not. It made me a slightly insane perfectionist highly critical of even the smallest failure on my part.

Failure is a pleasure. The minute I discovered that fact, I indulged. Heavily. Everyone knows that person that points out all your flaws and the impossible odds against you when you’re trying to do something. We all have at least one of them in our social circles. Maybe you’re even one of them. (tsk tsk) Look close enough and you’ll see the fear. They are afraid so they have to bring you down to make themselves feel comfortable. You’re trying to plan something and “You, do blah blah blah?! Haha. It’s going to suck coz you’re so blah blah blah..” Next thing you know, you doubt yourself and if you do go ahead and it tanks, it will cripple you. If you achieve your goals it may mean they have to do something about theirs and that will require the courage to face possible failure. No one has the right to take deny you the gift to try so don’t let their fear and their limitations become yours! Travel light.

Failure is a pleasure. So sweet. Like chocolate fudge cake. You have to close your eyes to fully concentrate on that heavenly taste. Tonguegarsm. Every time I fail, I laugh at myself especially if it’s a case of the blondes. It’s great coz now that I know how to do it wrong, I can figure out how to do it right! I’ve learned to walk up to a superior in a work situation and say I’ve made a mistake and apologize. Of course at first I want to cover up and cringe when I imagine the look and mouth-full I will receive (especially in my field of work) but I embrace my failure and take the heat for it. With time, I have developed a positive attitude and a boldness that I must say makes the biggest hurdles seem like an adventure.

Summary? Forget about the naysayers, the odds, the doubts and subsequent weird tug-of-war conservations you may have with yourself… Make mistakes, fail. You will grow tremendously and you will realize just how much potential you truly have. Adrenaline will replace crippling fear and life will be a fun lesson. You move ahead fast and people notice and respect you. They want to know how you do it…So go ahead, eat that piece of chocolate fudge cake. You know you want to!