#MindfulMondays

Greetings.

I love to be inspired. Especially when my mind and soul are inspired.

Maybe it’s because I’m too gullible AND too fallible. This imperfect combination makes me seek words of wisdom everywhere. Beautifully written and spoken words can sometimes make me cry. I’ve always been a sucker for poetic and well orchestrated prose. It’s like brainfood and soulfood all in one and when the two sync, I get so inspired and I am touched. It’s also an addictive feeling that I can’t get enough of. Well spoken words are matters of the heart where I tend to lead from.

Today’s #MindfulMonday quotes come from a session at work today. Leaders openly shared their stories of success and failure with the rest of our marketing organization. Because we don’t talk much about failure, their lessons in failure spoke to me. The speakers spoke with such honesty, faith and humility – it was a refreshing perspective to hear. Here’s the top five of what they shared:

1. “Fail with friends. The ones that were with you in success will be with you in failure.” – On lessons learned when failing in business

2. “Titles don’t mean a thing. What matters is your opportunity to grow, learn and contribute.” – On staying humble and choosing opportunities based upon growth, not ego

3. “Own up to it, take your share of it, bite the bullet and move on.” – On how to move on when you’ve discovered that you’ve failed

4. “The first failure is the hardest. But each successive one gets easier.” – On embracing failure throughout life

5. “The most important thing I’ve learned in my life is work-life balance. You cannot be successful in life or your career with out it. You have to find what makes you happy outside of work to help you succeed.” – On developing a successful career – it begins with your personal happiness

As I sat there listening, it seems like there was also one more important lesson that hadn’t been communicated in words throughout their talks. For as much as these speakers failed in business, their emphasis on moving on and seeing opportunity in the next venture seemed to embody a more important message; Despite the failures you will encounter in life, there will be hope. Hope that your next venture and next attempt will be better than the last.

Hope that you may try again.

Hope that you might be successful and that things will work out.

Hope that you may get it right the second time around.

So for today’s #MindfulMonday the challenge to myself and to you will be embracing our life’s failures. Failure makes us humble, human and whole.

Excel.