Failure Always Comes Before Success

We don’t begin as successful at anything in life. Inventors such as Thomas Edison went through many “failures” before they succeeded with their life-altering inventions. 

Other discoveries happen as a direct result of “failure”. Post-it® Notes and potato chips are only two examples of amazing creations that occurred because of a mistake, or as an afterthought.

The Winding Road to Success

Most people appreciate clear goals and distinct trails to those objectives. However, life is not always so convenient. Our road to achievement is not likely to always be straight, narrow, and well defined:

• Our path may look more like the one in the image above. Our trails may be obstructed by curves, hills, rocks, or steep grades. 
• Life may take us in the direction of taking a giant leap backward before we take small steps forward in a certain area.

My Circuitous Path to Fulfillment

Piano--I play the piano a little. However, I haven’t progressed in my musical skills in a traditional manner. I haven’t improved in a chronological time line. I only took a few lessons as a child. Then, I lost interest in dedicating the attention necessary to perfect any talent. I didn’t take any more lessons, or play the piano, until about 10 years ago.

Writing--My road to improved writing has not been straightforward.  I enjoyed writing for my own pleasure when I was younger. However, I didn’t start writing again until about two years ago. 

My Conclusion

True freedom can be defined as the opportunity to experiment, or practice. The word “experiment”, itself, has the meaning of a lack of guarantees—a scientific process of discovery. Therefore, freedom can be defined as the opportunity to learn and grow through our mistakes. People who live in countries of such abundant opportunity are doubly blessed.