Failure for Growth. . .

Failure is a fundamental part of the human experience. However, it is often difficult to know what to do with the broken pieces of our lives. How can we see our shattered dreams as core parts of who we are, holy aspects of our spiritual journeys? The problem is expectations, if we have lots of expectations we will be disappointed, statistically things must go wrong sometimes. Relieve yourself of expectations and you’ll find your life much more peaceful. Personally I hate self help books, because there’s nothing wrong with me how I am, never was! All this self help stuff is rubbish, if it were so easy you’d only need one book right? It’s not easy and the best way to improve yourself is through meditation, mindfulness and compassion for others. Expectations are the root cause of disappointment and failure, drop them and be content with how good your are right now. Although not always obvious at the time, broken expectations open us to new perspectives and opportunities. Handled with humility, our failures can deepen our relationships with others. In my own life, I have slowly learned to retell the stories of my failing on my path to knowledge and understanding. With the help of dear friends and teachers, I have come to see that period of my life as one marked by integrity and courage. What I had initially experienced as a failure was, in fact, a crucial piece of a profound spiritual success – my becoming buddhist. I was able to integrate this old, shattered dream of mine into the broader story of my life. What are we to do with the broken pieces of our lives? The Buddha teaches us that we are to observe and grow from these shattered dreams to embrace them with mind and heart and cherish them. They are a crucial part of what makes us who we are. Peace and Love, Jim