Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Still Stompin Through the Puddles?


"Ever tried
Ever Failed.
No Matter.
Try again.
Fail again.
Fail better."

~ Samuel Beckett

I am thankful for the lessons of failing.
These are some of my greatest moments of success
because I am still here
I am still trying
still stompin through the puddles...

What about you? Failed? Failing? Still moving forward? Care to share a moment that helped define you?

31 comments:

  1. Yes! I've failed loads of time. Happens to me a lot. Whether it's a small failure or a big one. An I always learn from them. I might sit in the puddle for a moment to sulk, but God gets me back up again. Gets me stopming again.

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  2. There was a time I thought failure was my middle name. Now I prefer to look at the positives more instead. So, Yes, I've failed and I'm all the better for each of those sinking moments. Failure grows determination and integrity.

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  3. Katie- I like to go back and sit in puddles and sulk too. Then I walk around for days wondering why my feet are still wet. I like what you said about God getting you stompin again :)

    Eileen- I agree. Failure grows many things that would otherwise lay dormant inside us.

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  4. Now THIS is a quote I can unequivocally get behind!

    ;-)

    I'm working on my "fail better" techniques...

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  5. All of the above. I've failed. I'm still failing. I'm moving forward. Not leaping the puddles, but stomping purposely through them.

    Helen
    Straight From Hel

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  6. I know I've failed many times, but none of those failures really stands out in my memory because something better always seemed to have come out of the failure. I guess it's because I've always kept moving on and I hope I will always continue to do so.

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  7. Tabitha Bird....You are my Rainbow, the most beautiful one i've ever seen!

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  8. Failing daily my friend, but trying to do it with flair!

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  9. Failing can be a great teacher and motivator. It has been for me.

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  10. When I got a rejection on a short story I submitted, my daughter sent me a link to a Michael Jordan commercial. Normally, I don't get inspired by commercials but this one was spot-on. If you haven't seen it, he says he missed 9,000 shots in his career, lost 300 games and missed 26 shots for which he was entrusted to win the game. He says he's failed over and over and that is why he succeeds.
    By the way, I love the Beckett quote and your puddle imagery.

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  11. Oooh, awesome poem! Or quote. Whatever it is, I like it. Yep, I've failed a lot, even in other things like mothering or being a good wife. My failures make me want to succeed.

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  12. All of the above. Love the photo.

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  13. I'm pretty stubborn, so failing isn't fun but it never keeps me down. Love the picture!

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  14. Well said! I think what defined me is best described in my post today, check it out sometime. Enjoy your Thanksgiving with your family Tab! God bless and love your writing, even with few words you say so much! xo

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  15. Yes, thanks for asking. Many failed realtionships dating a lot of Mr. Wrongs showed me what I did not want in a husband. I've been married to Mr. Right for nearly 35 years now, thanks to all those puddles!

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  16. I'm still stomping, still reaching for the sky. :)

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  17. Failed. Everyday! Like my good friend says, "I wouldn't trade anything for journey." But I don't necessarily want to feel those pangs of failure again.

    Truly how else can we grow.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  18. I'm with all those who appreciate the photo. What a great way to ruin a pair of boots! No, I mean it. Honest. I love stomping through puddles and standing under gutters during a rainstorm. I'm weird that way.

    And, as for failing, that just drives me onward. The successes - even small ones - are sweet, but the failures light a fire under (and within) me.

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  19. Yes, yes and yes. Always moving forward, always overcoming - that's what sets us apart from the others, right? What's the quote about the winner being the person who tried one more time than the loser (or something like that)???

    Have a great holiday :D

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  20. As you know Tab, failing makes me very happy, right now anyway, couldn't be happier to fail! *beam*.

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  21. Oh, failure! Yes, I've had plenty of experience there! As writers we ought to have our failure badges and wear them proudly! Those failures are what push us to grow and work harder!

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  22. My best "failure" was being "downsized" due to economic conditions from my job of 23 years and waking up so shocked that I started writing. It's been over nine months and I haven't stopped...

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  23. A failure that helped define me? How about all of them. Pretty much. Still moving forward, though. Happy Thanksgiving!

    (Plus, great Beckett quote. Always liked that one.)

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  24. Been failing a lot this week. Thank goodness its a short week.

    ............dhole

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  25. Great failing all! I am uplifted and ready to fail again! Thanks for the comments.

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  26. Hello Tabitha,

    I fail, we all do at some point. You are definitely not alone. It's part of living, learning and evolving. I think Einstein is one of the greatest examples of failure, persevering and overcoming.

    "Learning is the greatest gift, even if pain is your teacher."

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  27. Hey Tabitha,

    Before I read Stephen King's On Writing, every rejection letter I got used to make me want to quit. I'm terrified of failure.

    But Stephen King said when he got his first rejection letter, he hung it from a nail in his wall, and as the months and years went by, when the nail wasn't big enough to hold all of the letter, he drove a spike in the wall and kept writing.

    Now my goal is to have enough rejection letters to fill a spike.

    Jenn

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  28. I love that Jenn. Gosh I had forgotten about that part in Stephen King's book. That's it. I am printing out all my rejection letters and posting them on a spike! Full spike here I come!

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  29. I'd love to see a picture of your spike!

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  30. Haha- failure only makes me mad and want to try harder ;-)

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  31. i learn from my failure..i treat my failure as a teacher ..it teaches us..to make me to do it more accurately..i like the picture of your spike bird

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