June 21st, 2011 It's the new "F" word. "Failure" is a word no one ever seems to want to mention or discuss, yet we all deal with it on a constant basis. I get so burned out reading people's Facebook status updates and 90% of the time it's about how successful they want everyone to think they are, when you can easily see that they aren't really getting anywhere. When the only mouth you are hearing about someone's greatness is from their own, you know they aren't turning any heads. No one can stand the idea of admitting, "I'm struggling right now." "Times are tougher." or "I didn't get the job." But you know what? It's okay to admit defeat now and then. No winner in life has a perfect record. It's okay to embrace failure, no one ever said you have to be prefect all the time. Failure is a part of succeeding, and you might as well get used to it because there's plenty of failures that are going to happen. Victories and successes wouldn't be worth striving for if all you had to do was apply for it.

If there's one thing I learned from being a pilot, it's for sure that when you screw up, you analyze the mistake, and apply the necessary corrections for the next time. It's the only way to get better. But never admitting fault is a critical mistake all it's own. One has to be okay with saying they didn't make the mark. It's what allows one to see the measure for improvement, or plan a strategy to meet the goal on another attempt. It's not cool nor progressive to just put on a fake personification that you are always winning. It's a diminishing quality, a sign of a insecurity and no one respects someone who has to lie to look important.

So stop worrying about what others think. Everyone is in the same boat. Everyone has stories to tell of failures. Don't be afraid to let people see the real you. Life isn't all about who is the most perfect, it's more about taking the good with the bad, and building yourself into a better person with both.