The subject line of this post is a quote by Truman Capote.  I have always believed that not achieving instant gratification is a necessity.  Failure is life’s way of moving you in another direction and truly allowing you to appreciate eventually achieving that success you have been striving towards.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
―     Thomas A. Edison

(image credit: enchantedlearning.com)

I think of myself as a success because I have failed.  My failures have given me a true sense of self and pushed me to want to attain that success that I covet.  Failure is not an end, it is only a beginning.  That defeat makes me rethink my original plan and construct a new plan, pushing me in a direction I may have not originally intended.

My failures do not define me, they strengthen me.   I can accept falling short of a goal but I could never live with myself if I gave up trying.  Just one line in the sand on the success side of my life is worth all of those hash marks in the failure column.  A few dashes of inadequacy and a sprinkling of botched attempts make that main course of success that much tastier!