Random Thought Process Alert:

Someone at work told me recently: “Failure is not an option”. I laughed and nodded before we both moved on to another task we’ve been discussing. But at the back of my head, I heard a nagging voice insisting that “yes, it is.”

Failure is part of life, more so when you’re a writer. Our craft is so subjective than even when you’re at your best, someone somewhere will hate what you put out.

Every time I get a rejection email from an agent, that’s one more failure on my balance sheet. And yes, every time it hurts, but I can’t deny its impact on me.

Failure has taught me so much over the years.

I learned time management and how to prioritize my tasks, and what happens when I don’t do it. I learned what things I actually value and what I can live without. I learned how to manage my money and why ignoring my problems can lead to disaster.

More importantly: I learned to motivate myself when the results of my work are not immediate. I learned to establish my own standards and work hard to achieve them, to work hard until I’m satisfied with the results. And I learned to be very careful about whose opinions I care about and who do I allow to influence me and my choices.

So yeah, failure is indeed an option. It’s the option that allowed me to grow, to become better. A better person. A better writer. A better career woman.

Simply better.