This is one of my favorite movie scenes. Bruce Wayne's dad sets an example of being a great dad and father. He not only comforts his son, but teaches him a great life lesson.
Failure is a part of life. It is simultaneously the greatest teacher and the greatest destroyer of lives. Great accomplishments are usually preceded by great failures. It is in learning to view, handle and perceive failure that we grow as individuals.
One who has never failed, has never tried.
Chris moore
As a dad, I want to see my child succeed. It is difficult to move myself out of the way wait for him to learn life's lessons as they come to him. I try to teach him before failure, but it easier to teach him after he has failed on his own. It is human nature. We can say, “Don’t touch it, it's hot.” Still, temptation is high, and many choose to touch it anyway. They have to try it for themselves.
This is okay, too. That is hard to admit. I have determined to allow my son to fail. To try and to fail. You see, the greater lesson I have to teach him is not that he should not fail, but rather how to fail.
Failure is not what guides our life or destroys it, but rather how we view our failure and how we react to it that determines it's affect. What you think about your failure is what governs its affect on our future, not the failure itself. Yes, there will be consequences, but the final outcome usually rests with us.
Alcoholics Anonymous was started by two alcoholics in 1935. Bill W. was a stockbroker and Dr. Bob S. was a surgeon. Both were described as “hopeless alcoholics,” but they turned their failure into struggle into lasting triumph that has served many other people throughout the years.
Not all failure is about addictions or bad relationship choices. It could be a failed business or other endeavor.
Failure is not something to be avoided at all costs. We should strive to reach the point of failure. John Maxwell talks about failing forward. When we neglect this skill, we stop moving forward. We get trapped in the failure.
So what is the lesson here?
Teach yourself to embrace failure like you would teach your child. Not to sit and cry about it. Not to be immobilized by the fear of failing again. Not to be crippled by embarrassment.
Rather embrace your failure. Own up to it. Admit it to yourself. Learn from it and move forward to a brighter future.
We fall so we can learn to get up.
