I never fail to be amazed by people who, when something they planned goes kerfluey, spend the next two lifetimes beating themselves up about it. “Why did I do that?”…I should have done XXX.” And on and on and on….

Here’s a newsflash for those of you who are guilty of this. Life happens. Get over it.

Before you get all preach-y with me…I do understand. I’ve been there. I’ve spent countless hours moaning and groaning about some thing or other that jumped merrily off the tracks and made a royal mess of all my plans. In spite of everything, it. just. didn’t. work.

A wise…and probably burned out…salesman once wearily sighed to Margaret (my wife) after she had found yet another microscopic blemish in a table lamp that she was interested in buying: “Nothing’s perfect, little girl.” So very, very true.

I’m not saying that you simply shrug your shoulders and do nothing other than give up. What I am suggesting is that you learn from the experience and keep on keepin’ on.

“In his efforts to develop the lightbulb, Thomas Edison conducted 1,000 experiments that failed before finally hitting on the winner. When a reporter asked, ‘How did it feel to fail 1,000 times,’ Edison replied, ‘I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.’” (Wikipedia)

I’m not recommending that you should go to this extreme, but the world is certainly better off because Mr. Edison didn’t waste time second-guessing his efforts. More important, I believe, he refused to give up on something that he absolutely believed he could make happen. He just kept on trying.

So whether you’re in college trying to figure out just what it is you want to do or you’re out in the “real world” and trying to convince yourself…and others…that you are capable of great things, don’t second-guess yourself. If it feels right and you feel in your heart-of-hearts that you can make it happen…go for it!

“I was never afraid of failure; for I would sooner fail than not be among the greatest.” – John Keats, “Letter to James Hessey” [October 8, 1818]