The Odyssey Online: God's Plan?

Acknowledge Your Commitment

In the moment, you feel that the remark, "You should be proud of yourself," is just a big slap in the face, for why would you be proud of failing? The truth is.... YOU SHOULD. So many people think about what they want in life and never actually try. Knowing that you actually went after your goal will give you some direction as to where to go next. It takes a strong person to make time for a specific thing and continue to do this crazy thing called life.

Dealing with Rejection

I can't lie, as soon as your dreams crush, so do you. You crumble, your heart explodes, and the waterworks is like a never ending hurricane. Your life feels as if you are in a middle of a never ending tornado and you have no sense of direction. THIS IS NORMAL! It is ok to be upset, for you have put so much time into whatever your dream was and when it is crushed it is ok to be upset, but you must move on. The most ugliest side of grief is bitterness and coping with rejection is key to moving on and obtaining another goal.

What Now?

When you have realized you are stable enough to move on, start small. Treat yourself for all the dedication as if you are giving yourself a little break. Don't stop doing what you love, even if that means finding a different form of channeling that passion. For example, I have been a competitive dancer since I was five years old and not being able to dance how I used to changed me as a human. I didn't know how to express myself, so I found a new way and I starting doing this for myself. I started dancing in my free time and continued to choreograph for others. It may not be the same, but I'm still doing what I love.

Look at the positives

It is hard to look at the bright side when the result doesn't benefit you. But humility and being denied creates grace and thicker skin. You may not have gotten what you wanted, but acknowledging your dedication, or even congratulating others on their success builds your character. Events like these make you who you are and help you grow as a person. The person who gets whatever they want in life may not know the feeling of being broken down and their character may be so negative and not sincere. Acknowledging someone's success is important because you know how much work you put in and being happy for someone else is just as important.

Try Again?

In the moment, you may never want to chase your dream again because you are afraid of failure. Just like a sickness you need rest to heal. Once you heal, you can go back to your normal way of life. Once you have healed, time will tell if you still want to achieve that dream and your life may lead to a new path that is even better than you wished for.

Learn from failure

Failure can be as small as failing a test, being a terrible friend, or even not making the dream team. It is ok to look at what you did wrong or realize that you gave your all. Improvement will only prevent you from peaking and help you grow into an even stronger individual. In failure comes strength.

Grow as a person

I have learned through my failure that I am strong, I am driven, I am loving, and I am grateful, and most importantly, I am hopeful. I may never know the path God chooses for me, but I know that joy will be found in a different way. I am grateful for the positive influences around me that help me through whatever. When you have loving people in your life, it shows you are not alone and that you show as much love in return. So keep your head up and be ready for the next opportunity. And always remember......

When one door closes, three doors open!

*There is no better lesson than failure, in my opinion. We can be told to get right back up and dust off, but you never know how hard that is until you face it yourself. You may want to lie in bed for a week and cry your heart out in the shower after learning about a failure. It's totally expected that you take this time and heal, but what matters are the next steps that you take. I failed so many biology exams in college, but biology was my major! I thought about switching majors numerous times, but I graduated with that biology degree last year and it was the hardest thing I ever did! The fact was that I wanted that degree like nothing else. If you want something that badly, you will do anything to get it!*

#Failure #DustYourselfOff #Resiliency

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