I read this Steve Madden quote a few weeks ago. I’ve been thinking about it ever since. It made me wonder if I have been “reaching” enough or if my life had become too comfortable.

Defining failure seemed like an important first step to finding the answer.

The Oxford Dictionary describes failure as the lack of success or the inability to achieve a desired goal. Yet, this definition seemed too simple, too narrow.

Failure and success are deeply personal and are shaped by our life experiences and situations. The aspirations I held at 20 are not my goals now. They have evolved with my personal growth and my understanding of the world.

Furthermore, it can’t be denied that our perceptions of success and failure are a combination of personal values, societal norms, and individual goals. They are what we’ve come to believe, based on life experiences and what society has encouraged us to believe.

Becoming mindful of this has made me realize that success and failure are deeply personal, and societal norms, even though they are an influence, shouldn’t apply to our individual journeys. They aren’t the yardstick we should use to measure our results.

It’s also made me realize that the real challenge is not finding success or avoiding failure. Rather, it’s embracing the process, regardless of the outcome.

It’s in the act of trying that we find growth. It is through the process that we learn from our experiences and determine what success means.

So, as a challenge this week, I invite you to consider if you’ve been avoiding something because you’ve been too afraid to fail. If so, I encourage you to lean into it. Give it a try. It doesn’t have to be big, but it should be something meaningful. Attempt it, not for the sake of success, but for the learning it brings.

Through this challenge, we will start to see success and failure, not as an outcome, but as part of our journey.

Perhaps, in the end, all we need to do is embrace the attempt.

Best wishes on your journey, Lauren