“You can’t let your failures define you. You have to let your failures teach you.”
This quote is by Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. He served two terms as President and since then has continued to make a positive impact as a writer, speaker, philanthropist, and in other ways.
I have been re-reading Obama’s book A Promised Land, the first volume of which was published in 2020. He writes about his early years through the first years of his presidency. I respect Obama, for he is a man of integrity, intelligence, and concern for others, and has many other admirable qualities. And, unlike many people, he is open to sharing what he considers to have been his failures. In his book he writes about mistakes he made while campaigning for the presidency and as President. So when he wrote the words I’ve quoted, he was speaking from his own experience.
Making mistakes and experiencing failure are part of being human. When that happens, it can be difficult to go through. And yet, fearing that we might make a mistake is very limiting. If we hold back from trying to work toward personal goals or from supporting a cause we believe in or in other ways being constrained, we diminish our life experience. As Obama says, we must not let failures define us but instead learn what those failures teach us and then move forward. What we have learned will help us to take the next steps.
Each of us has the potential to add to that which is good and right in our world. How we live each day can make a positive difference. We must not let fear of making a mistake stop us from doing our part to add to what is of value in life, for ourselves as well as for others.