The Gift of Failure

I talk about the gifts life has given me all throughout Jack in the Box, particularly in the chapter titled “The Gift.”

Gifts come in all kinds of packages, and we don’t always see their value right away. But if something is truly a gift, you will realize the impact it has on your life at some point. As folks like to say, “Everything happens for a reason.” It just takes time for that reason to become apparent. You have to have patience.

 Travel gave me the gift of insight into other cultures, other traditions and other definitions of beauty. It also taught me about diversity of thought, of religion and of politics.

 Modeling gave me the gift of self-confidence, of direction and of purpose.

 Life gave me the gift of failure. I know; you’re saying, “Wait! How is failure a gift?”

 Well, I failed to find a college major that suited me, but that eventually led to a career you would never find listed in a college catalog.

 I failed to have a great relationship with my parents, but that made me determined to forge strong ones with my own children.

 I failed to find a religion that connected me to something that aligned with my definition of faith, so I carved out my own path to spirituality, one that worked to fulfill my need for answers to the great questions of the universe.

 Failure can truly be a gift if it kickstarts your journey in a new direction, making you give up ideas and ways that aren’t working. Failure can give you clarity, forcing you to see what’s not working so you’ll try something new.

 Ultimately, failure gave me the gift of success. And while I don’t recommend setting out to fail, I believe there’s definitely something to learn from the experience.