Learning Never Ends
Failure Is Always An Option
I am taking a Spanish language class two days a week and study every day on my own. Since it is Carmen’s native tongue, I practice on her constantly. Spanish is the native language of the country I now live in, so I get the opportunity to flex my Spanish in the real world. I’ve come a long way with this language, and manage to communicate most things successfully, but I will never consider myself to be “fluent”.
I have written five books and have several more in various stages of completion. I write every day. But I will never feel I have perfected the art of writing. There is always another way to combine those words, to convey that thought, that might be better. That doesn’t stop me from trying.
From a standing position, a yoga practitioner bends forward, striving to place the nose against the calf of one leg, while the other leg is raised straight up into the air. Then the hands, which have been helping maintain balance, are lifted from the floor. The entire body balances on a single foot, leaving the person looking more like a switchblade than a human being. The Sanskrit name for this position is Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana, the pronunciation of which is almost as difficult as the pose itself. No matter how long I try to accomplish the ideal form of this pose (or pronounce it), I will always fail.
Yeah. That’s not me.
The goal in all of these examples isn’t to achieve perfection, but to get a little closer every time.
The pursuit of perfection is often maligned by the argument that since absolute perfection is unobtainable, it should not be the ultimate goal. Perfectionism, the argument goes, leads to anxiety, overthinking, self-criticism, destruction of relationships, and eventual failure. I don’t disagree that those results can occur, but they will only happen if that pursuit is viewed with the wrong focus.
My emphasis is not placed on the goal itself, but rather on the incremental journey from where I am as I strive toward that mythical point of perfection. Living in the moment of these small victories is where true happiness lies. I want to conduct one exchange in Spanish, turn one good phrase in my writing, or get that leg just a little higher than yesterday. Yes, that elusive goal of perfectionism is still out there, and tomorrow I’ll try again.
“Failure is not an option,” is a line from the movie Apollo 13, spoken by NASA Chief Flight Director Gene Kranz. I had the honor to serve humanity as a member of the NASA team for a period of my career, and I interviewed the real-life Gene Kranz for a documentary about the Apollo program. He told me that he never said those exact words. However, his absolute dedication to getting the stranded astronauts of that mission safely back to earth did the speaking for him.
Even in the incredible story of Apollo 13, failure was everywhere. The entire incident began with a failure. What sets this story apart is that despite multiple setbacks, everyone involved persisted. When one effort fell short, they found another way to get a little closer. The trials of Apollo 13 weren’t solved in a single perfect moment. It was a disaster. But because the entire team kept their eyes on the goal of perfection and worked toward that singular aim, those men came back to earth in one piece.
Satisfaction is found in the journey from where I am to where perfection lies. A few years ago, I barely knew a dozen Spanish words. Now, I’m expanding my vocabulary by more than that every day. I flex my writing skills on a daily basis. As for flexing at yoga, I can do that switchblade pose. It’s not straight up and down and I wobble constantly, but I did it better today than I did yesterday.
Perfection is just the end goal and failure is always the result. But by recognizing those failures are just another step down the road towards success, they no longer seem so important. You won’t get all the way to perfection. It’s the accomplishments you make along the way that define who you are.