They say failure is the best teacher in life but I believe being accountable is the best lesson that can be learned.
Most of the content I release is meant to document my journey in life and give valuable information that could help others whether it’s in regards to fitness or self-improvement.
So my post today will be more geared towards the latter.
I can’t speak for everybody, but I’ve failed tons in my life.
I’ve failed in school, failed at making the team, failed at dating, failed at business, and failed at being consistent.
I’ve taken losses many times and in many different cases.
And you know what? It hurt me every time but it taught me valuable lessons.
Failure happens
Look. Failing happens sometimes. Life has a funny way of not only hitting you when you least expect it but also creeping up on you when you try to ignore it.
Have you ever taken a test in school thinking you did great, then got the results back and you completely bombed it? I have. Plenty of times.
The first time it happened, I was surprised, perplexed, and mildly disappointed. But the second time it happened, I laughed.
The first time it happened to me, I was really upset but should I have been? To be honest with you, I didn’t study for it at all.
I just winged it.
The second time it happened, I found it funny because I realized something: it’s my fault I failed. Nobody told me to not be prepared.
I know. I have a weird sense of humor.
That lesson taught me that failure is inevitable in life but if you take the proper precautions, you can mitigate or even avoid the worst pitfalls.
“Preventing” Failure
“Proper planning prevents failure.” If there was any quote that was 100% true, this would be it.
As I mentioned earlier, most failures in life can either be mitigated or avoided completely by simply planning ahead.
If things go wrong in your life and you didn’t plan, who else should you really blame?
This goes for business, relationships, finances, education, etc. Everything.
Now obviously you can’t account for every scenario, but you should at least plan for these 3:
- The most likely scenario
- The least likely scenario
- And the worst scenario
So many people walk through life thinking they are the exception to every rule, they deserve the best and nothing bad could happen to them.
I thought this way in the past too. Even though it wasn’t intentional, it never crossed my mind that I could be the example for the “worst-case scenario”. But it happens.
It’s happened many times and it was because I didn’t prepare myself or understand that I’m not “invincible”.
Being Accountable
Learning how to be accountable was an easy process for me.
Growing up, my parents did a phenomenal job teaching me that everything in life has a consequence. “Nothing is free” still resonates with me today.
But as I’ve reached my adult years, I’ve learned one of my biggest lessons: “No good deed goes unpunished.”
Maybe you’ve heard that one before.
That quote can be interpreted in many ways. But to me, it means I needed to understand that any time I involve myself with another person, place, thing, or situation, I become a variable.
And anytime you become a variable, you open yourself up to the positives and negatives of said situation.
In the end, you can only take care of your business and prepare yourself for any scenario.
You can never really know when a person will turn on you, or circumstances change around you.
All you can control is yourself.
Blaming others for bad things happening in my life never got me anywhere. It was once I accepted responsibility for incorrectly positioning myself that I truly grew.
Your physical, mental and emotional security is yours alone. Only can allow it to grow.
Never put it in someone else’s hands.
In closing
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