We Are Born To Fail

It was Emily Dickinson who once quipped that “Success is counted sweetest by those who never succeed”. As to what prompted her to say that I don’t know, but she may have a point. Success is rare as winning in the lottery. By nature, we are born to fail.

If failure isn’t in our genes, then why is it so easy to fail? All you have to do is sit in your favorite couch and do nothing and it will come to you like a bolt of lightning. If you want to succeed, however, you have to stand up and defy the laws of gravity.

Success requires a lot effort and will-power. Look at a baby trying to learn his first steps. Look at the struggles that he has to go through before he finally succeeds. If I knew then what I know now of the effort required, I probably would have given up walking altogether. On the other hand, I may not. It seems that in addition to our inborn capacity to fail is the ability to evolve and dream of the possibilities. All we need is a little window to see the light.

In the final analysis, it doesn’t really matter that some endeavors can lead to failure. This may look like a pessimistic point of view, But not necessarily so. As long as we show up, live the dream, and learn from each other’s failures, we’ve done our part in contributing to human evolution. Happiness is not finding success at the end of the rainbow, but in enjoying the ride.