I spent half of my life believing that one of the big objectives of life was to be successful and hence to avoid failure at all costs. ‘Getting it right’ and ‘living right’ were big themes particularly at the church I attended. Then I had my first big failure; leaving my first marriage. I am choosing my words very deliberately. I believe both people take responsibility for the success or failure of any relationship but in terms of responsibility for ending the relationship, I have to own the fact that I left my marriage and backed out of my vows.
That led to a period of intense recalibration. I had to face up to who I was and what I really believed. Not what the bible said. Not what my pastor taught. What did I believe and who did I want to be.
I did not know it at the time but that set a foundation for authentic growth. You cannot grow, if you do not recognize a lack, a deficiency. I explored the depths of my own passions and desires and over time the authentic me emerged. From that time in my life onwards, I began to grow at an accelerated pace.
From that nexus came forth so much fruit; humility, a desire to reconnect with my parents, empathy for the moral outcasts of life, an encounter with the boundless merciful love of Christ, understanding of the real gospel of Jesus, freedom from shame, understanding of true companionship, refreshed love for mankind, renewed delight in this physical creation God has blessed us to enjoy… I could go on and on but the point is that it started with failure. As Richard Rohr says, “The way down, is the way up.”
Day by day, it washes over me with renewed poignancy how blessed I am to have experienced failure. Failure opened the door for my inner work because success is the enemy of growth. By growth I don’t mean external accomplishments. I mean inner growth; character formation. Success tells us that who we are is working so we have no need to change. But it can be a deception. I see it all the time in very successful men with rotten characters. If you give them feedback, they immediately point to their track record of success as validation of who they are.
I am extremely thankful because I could have been just like that; a rotten success. Looking back now I know that there were many whispers of feedback that I must have missed until life had to shout to get my attention. Now I have the humility to hear the whispers of feedback in the counsel of my support group or in the reactions of people I interact with (even though I must admit I still sometimes don’t have the humility to act on it).
I can remember last year getting feedback from staff and how it shook me. Even though it was largely positive, the few areas for improvement were areas I was passionate about and that I thought I was outstanding in. Apparently, I was not. I was quite successful as a manager, but the echoes of past hubris reminded me not to be so cocky, so sure of my footing, so set in my beliefs that no other view can penetrate my world. I sat down with a friend and charted a course to work on becoming a better me.
The other beautiful thing about inner growth is that it affects everything else. My failure in marriage caused inner growth that redounded to my professional life and friendships. You bring you wherever you go. A failed business or a failed work project or a failed exam can catalyse inner work that affects your total life.
My dear companions, don’t be fooled by success and don’t be daunted by failure. Listen… listen to the lessons of your life and learn well.
Joyfully,
Copyright 2017, Matik Nicholls