What if we took failure and disappointments as lessons to learn from and see them as God's protection?
I know all about wanting something so deeply, so badly that when it doesn't happen, it feels incredibly painful. Not to be dramatic, but it feels as though you go into mourning over the loss of dreams and expectations. Those disappointments can cause us to feel like maybe we should give up entirely on our ideas, our dreams, our visions.
However, what if instead of just instantly throwing in the towel at the first (or second, or third) failure, we instead decide to approach it from a different mindset?
In my current journey towards a particular career, it has been fraught with failure and missteps along the way. I am not joking when I say that this year has been the most frustrating and challenging year of my life. I have not been in a classroom since I was 19 years old, yet here I sit, currently, spending hours on a computer screen studying and taking exams, failing said exams, having to go back and restudy and prepare.....I feel as though I am on a hamster wheel that will never stop.
I'm tired.
Literally me right now.
When I allow myself a good cry and, let's be honest, a good nap and a small tantrum (I am a tad bit dramatic), I start to feel better and I start asking questions.
Did I hear God correctly? That is my first question to myself. A year ago, I believed that I was supposed to leave the job I was at in order to pursue this new direction. I prayed about it. Thought about it. Talked to just a couple of people about it, and then took the leap. Side note: there is no scripture that says you should leave your current job to take such and such opportunity. I prayed a lot, and God led me to His word in order to guide me and encourage me, but there was no specific scripture. It was, quite literally, a leap of faith. That being said, a year later, I experience doubt. I am a confident woman, but even I have to wonder if I am just absolutely crazy or if I should still be on this particular track.
Am I really ready for this? I know that when one decides to embark on their dreams, they are never totally, 100% ready. We have also heard that our dreams will never match our bank accounts (believe me, that is really freaking true, ha!). However, perhaps we may not be as prepared as we believe ourselves to be, and the failures allow us to grow and learn in order to become more ready. Perhaps, God is showing you something or maybe even protecting you from something. I have learned in my 42 years of life that by not getting everything I want was a good thing. That there was even better awaiting me, if I was willing to sit in the lesson and the failure.....growing up never stops.
Do I still want to pursue this? It is an honest question. I am often caught in between what I want to be doing. I either want to spend time here on this blog and allow the words to flow out so that I can encourage and help women, and I want to study so that I can pass my final exam and finally get to work. I have realized that I want both. My fiance told me that and is better than or. So we are going to go with that. That isn't always true for everyone. Most of the time, we can't do both, at least not immediately. We aren't one dimensional, though. I am passionate about writing and using words to empower, educate, and encourage. I also believe that God has led me to have an opportunity where I get to help people build secure financial futures for themselves and for their families. That they have money to pay for their children's education. That they can retire with confidence and not fear that they will run out of money and rely on their children to take care of them. Should the unthinkable happen (divorce, death, illness), they will be able to pay their bills and live in their homes. My favorite part is to help people also live generously and give back to their communities. To do good with the blessings God has granted them. So in my answer to my own question, the answer is a resounding YES. I want to do this. And I want to write and educate women on the things that matter to us.
So with every opportunity missed, for every mistake, for every loss, perhaps we can choose to grow from every experience. Grow from the no. No doesn't always mean a no forever. It could just be a "not yet".
You got this.
Rooting you on.
Your Dream Buildher Bestie,
Tiffany Rhea
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