“When you fail you learn from the mistakes you made, and it motivates you to work even harder.” Natalie Gulbis
“I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but how they can recover when they fall.’ Serena Williams
“Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” Oprah Winfrey
Winfrey had a tough childhood but became a famous talk show host. She seems to be a compassionate, honest woman and good listener.
“I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” Michael Jordan
“Failure is a part of the process. You just learn to pick yourself back up.” Michelle Obama
“We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes-understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” Arianna Huffington
“Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.” John F Kennedy
“The one who falls and gets up is stronger than the one who never tried. Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.” Roy T Bennett
“I have not failed. I have found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” Thomas Edison
John Wayne’s book of American Grit states that 1,093 patents came from his workshop!
“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” John C Maxwell
“You mustn’t confuse a single failure with a final defeat.” F Scott Fitzgerald
“Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s not the end of the world, and in many ways, it’s the first step toward learning something and getting better at it.”Jon Hamm
“School has conditioned us to avoid mistakes-and punishes students for making them. In the real world, I’ve learned that mistakes-if acknowledged and evaluated and used as a tool to make better decisions in the future-are invaluable. A little fear can be a healthy thing, but we shouldn’t live in fear of making mistakes. Mistakes are good things, if we find the lesson in every failure.” Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
You can only really learn from failure…To win you need to fail, and fail hard. Aisha Tyler
I need to keep all of these in mind since I tend to beat myself up every time I make a mistake.
In high school, I was pro-life. I saw the world as black and white. It was clear what was right and what was wrong. At that time, I didn’t understand what the individual parties stood for.
I went to college thanks to grants from the US government. I remember that my college newspaper quoted one of my professors as saying that grant recipients didn’t deserve to attend. I also had to work during school as part of federal work study. It was a small amount of hours but it kept me from ever being able to see any professors during office hours. I always had a class or work during those hours. I also chose not to do any kind of internship due to the grant responsibilities and finances. I sometimes wonder if I would have found a job using my degree if I had more flexibility to do an internship.
When I entered college, I believed that I was the dumbest person on Earth. My parents and classmates repeatedly told me that I was stupid. My step-father told me that I had no common sense and was too dumb to be a doctor. He claimed that college graduates were a dime a dozen. During college, I learned that I wasn’t as dumb as I thought. I am not sure if I ever saw myself as smart at the time. The medical students used to come over to my classroom and tell us how they didn’t have to study until medical school. I had to study in elementary school. I also learned that I freeze up in emergencies. So, I never tried medical school.
After college, I looked for a job using my degree. But, I didn’t try real hard. I think my lack of belief in my own smarts and hatred for the constant rejections that are involved in job seeking dragged me down. I ended up working in retail for a few decades. This experience taught me the hardships that people can struggle with. I met a pharmacy technician who had used up all of her lifetime limits on her health insurance. I saw a shift supervisor use a food stamp card. When my employer cut my hours, I used food stamps. I cried while talking to the interviewer for heat assistance. I believed that our government was having trouble paying bills and here I was adding to them. I started to feel like Republicans hated me because I needed help. I considered rent assistance but never applied because I could afford a crappy apartment. It seemed like Republicans thought the US was a meritocracy. So, I developed a Democratic leaning to my political views.
I ended up getting a job at Walmart for 7.25 an hour. I asked if they recognized previous retail experience but he said “No. We don’t do that.” I sat there looking at him and the computer screen and finally agreed to take the job. So, I became a pharmacy cashier. I wanted to get promoted to pharmacy technician but I cry when I stress out. So, I cried my way out of ever being promoted just like I had done in past jobs. Walmart increased their starting wage until I got off food stamps and Obamacare.
At that time, I was still independent with Democratic leanings. I thought we needed the Republicans to keep us bleeding heart liberals from spending too much money. The parties balanced each other out.
Then, the Republicans started fighting to repeal Obamacare. I was thankful that my government helped me through college and with healthcare for a year or two until Walmart took over. The constant talk of repealing Obamacare with no replacement proposal angered me. I wanted to strengthen it and see if we could avoid universal healthcare.
Then Trump came out of nowhere to run for President. I heard that he hired a known co artist couple to run his Trump University before the election. So, I thought he could never win and voted for a third party candidate. Hilary Clinton was involved in a pay for influence scheme near the end of her husband’s presidency. I hate how money can get you out of a lot of troubles and increase your influence on our politicians. So, I was unhappy with Clinton and couldn’t bring myself to vote for her. Then, Trump won! It was the first time that I was ever scared about my nation’s safety. I remembered some people feeling that way when Obama became President. But, I never understood why they were afraid. So, I did the best that I could to live with Trump as my President. We all know that our candidate won’t always win. Then, he expanded Obama’s policy of breaking up families at the border. While I learned from the press that the length of time we can hold an adult is different than how long we can hold a minor, I was angry to see families being broken up. I joined a local protest.
I also protested with Black Lives Matter in my city. I refused to go to Milwaukee and protest because I didn’t trust them not to riot. I explained to a press person that I wanted “justice for all.”
I now support universal healthcare which makes me more extreme than Biden in this country.
In summary, I have concluded that we are not a meritocracy. While hard work and skills can get many people ahead, it leaves plenty of us behind. Hence I want the government to provide a safety net especially for the disabled and elderly. Then, I hope others in society will help others to find where they can make a positive contribution to society. I work in a factory now where I don’t have to worry about being yelled at. I still cry at times but less often than I did in retail.
The second thing that I have learned is that no political issue is simple. Abortion is not simply wrong or right. It involves raped people and people who can’t afford children. It is going to be a hard decision to make at the individual and societal level. I think we need to come up with a cut off time that we can agree on and only allow abortion after that time if medically necessary. Most abortions are early in the pregnancy where the risk is lowest.
My hope for the future is that we can remember that we all love the US. No matter what party a person identifies with, we all want what is best for the nation. We just disagree on what that is.
I have a tradition of making an ornament at the end of each year. I have one side for news events and one side for things in my own life. A few years past, I had a side with hopes for the new year and a side for personal life. Current events were added during the pandemic since the news had a huge impact on my life.
Here is the current events side of this year’s ornament.
I have prayed for world peace just as I suspect most everyone else has too. I have tried to pray for everyone involved but I can’t seem to pray for Hamas or the people in Russia who are leading the war effort. Every time I try, I end up asking God to change their minds and/or hearts. That feels like a prayer against them rather than for them. While I know what outcome I want, I don’t know God’s will. My dream outcome would be Ukraine kicking Russia back to their own country and Israel destroying Hamas with very few civilian deaths. Yet, I can’t see how Israel can fight in such a small densely populated area with lots of poverty. Since Hamas controlled the area, they were able to put their meeting areas, weapons stashes and hide outs anywhere in the Gaza strip. I just saw a video of people running after a relief truck. Palestinians are suffering and dying. How can we stop it? I want Palestinians to survive and be ruled by a non-terrorist organization that they support.
Here is my personal life side.
My cat, Puffers, died in February and I moved into a nicer apartment in August. I had hoped to move into a nicer apartment sometime this year. So, I feel like this year is close to what I had hoped for at this time last year.
I had hoped I’d eat healthier, exercise more and lose weight. I have made some progress on my Spanish studies on Duolingo but I haven’t tried speaking it to others yet. I know some co-workers who speak Spanish.
What is something others do that sparks your admiration?
There are so many people that I admire. I will group the people in my listing.
People who commit their life to a bigger cause. There are so many occupations in our society that keep our community alive. Police officers who come running in times of crises. We read the stories of mass shootings that end with the shooter being shot by police. Paramedics and fire fighters are heroes. Doctors. Nurses. Chaplains. Pastors. Scientists who spend a lifetime studying and experimenting just to learn new things. There are others who are less obvious but still manage to impact their communities for the better. Here is a picture of me dressed as a cop. I enjoy dressing as an occupation that is a hero for Halloween. I suspect that this is as close as I can to being a hero.
Everyday heroes. A local radio station uses this phrase to describe people who save a life with little to no training. They share a story on Thursdays. Sometimes, they do CPR or pull someone out of a car accident. I can’t think clearly when in a crisis. So, I admire those who can stay calm under stress.
People who sacrifice for others. When I worked in a drug store, I had a co-worker who worked at the drug store and a factory. She had previously been on disability but she refused to go back on it like her doctor wanted her to. She had a daughter with bi-polar. She worked way harder than she ever should in order to pay her daughter’s bills. I admired that.
Women who can stand up for themselves. I have a strong aversion to confrontation. So, I never asked for a pay raise until this year. I tend to stumble over my words when I ask for anything from my boss. I have a co-worker who is our painter in the factory. She has this ability to stand up for herself. I admire that.
The prompt today is a good exercise for anyone. So, I will if I can list five things that I am good at.
1. I am a good writer. I have written one very skinny fiction book that I put on Amazon. My favorite compliment concerning my writing was when a fellow church member said that my devotional booklet got het to open her Bible more. She really started asking our pastor more questions.
2. I am a hard worker. I have a mental battle with myself when I see co-workers chatting for over 15 minutes or just not managing to get anything done. But, I manage to stay busy most of the time.
3. I love to paint rocks. I had a dream about me collecting rocks for painting at my childhood home. I suspect that I am not good at it. But, I have read that what we love can give us a clue on what we are good at.
4. I love to read and research things. I am still reading the US history book. I am on the Great Depression. I know that I won’t remember it all but some of it will stick for the next time the news media references it.
5. I am or at least hope that I am a good listener like the title of this website. I keep working to improve my listening abilities but my own desire to express my feelings or thoughts too soon impairs it at times.
What are five things that you are good at? If you can’t think of five, then ask a friend or family member to help you.
