The saying goes, "We learn from our mistakes."  Learning from our failures is not an original idea, look at the world of science.  Scientists experiment, and fail, and experiment again using what they have learned not to do and avoiding that path in the future.  Scientists also have large gatherings to share the mistakes they have made with each other.  In fact they have huge international conferences to share their failures.  Why the willingness to share failure?  Success is the goal in sharing failures.
 
    Can we learn something from the example of the scientists?  Why is failure a must as we move forward on our path?  How much failure is acceptable?  What should we do when we fail?  What comes from much failure?
 
    I have always been lead to believe that with age comes wisdom.  Where does this wisdom come from?  Failure, many many failures,  make a man wise.  As we move  forward on our paths we become painfully aware of the pitfalls, the obstacles to success and how these can be avoided.  We become wise in the ways of the path, only because we experienced failure.   If we are not failing, we are not stretching ourselves to all the possibilities.  We are not taking advantage of all there is to enjoy and learn.   Just as we have great respect for the wise old man, so we need to respect failure.  Real wisdom only comes from this avenue.
 
    I for one, want to experience all that is available to me.  I want to learn from all that is offered.  I want to add my failures together, that my grandchildren may one day look at me and see me as wise.  I want to be the biggest failure there has ever been.  It will be through this that I can reach out and share with others the path to avoid those particular failings.  This will clear the current path for my friends to have their own failures and move even farther on the path.  I will share my failures as the scientists share.  I will listen to other peoples failures that I might learn great things.
 
    Motivational Graffiti is implementing the Failed Proud Award page.  You may receive a blue ribbon of failure and be added to the Failed Proud page by submitting your failure to tedmond@netins.net .  Your award ribbon or ribbons will be linked to a page with your story of failure.  We can then begin to learn from others.  We can help others learn from us.  We may even be able to step back and see the humor in some of our failures.  We can just have some fun...as we Keep on the path....Toby Edmondson