Embrace failure

We’ve all been there,
putting ourselves into something big, be it a creative endeavor or a project plan or a business pitch,
and we’re so proud of it, we dotted our “i”s and crossed our “t”s and our fingers and our toes.
“It’s our best work yet,” we tell ourselves.
“We are so ready.”
“Let’s do this.”
And it goes over like a cold, soggy pizza.
All of that spit and polish
gone unappreciated.
Or worse, dragged through an upbraiding,
hauled over the coals,
read the Riot Act,
and it sucks.
We scream into the void.
We question our abilities.
We just want to lean on every remaining cliche: hang it up, throw in in the towel, fold our hand.
And maybe just mail it in next time. (Ugh.)

But instead, tough as it may be to admit it,
we’ve learned something.
Maybe they were right.
Maybe it wasn’t as well thought out as we thought.
Maybe we navel gazed a bit too much.
Maybe out of this we’ll make something better.
In fact, we most certainly will.
More considered.
More researched.
Less pizzaz, more patience.
Less “look at what I made,”
more “look at what we can accomplish together.”