We've done it again. We've misused a word of our English language and ruined it, this time turning it into an excuse to not reach, stretch, grow or dare.
"FAIL" is overused, and used incorrectly, at that. Thanks to the Interwebs and ICanHazCheezburger-type geniuses with an inordinate amount of time on their hands, FAIL now means stupid, mistake, accident and stupid mistake. And no one likes to look stupid or make mistakes.
This is too bad. Kids that delight in failblog.com and the like are being taught that to fail is an embarrassing thing.
Yes, it can be, but it doesn't have to be. Depends on how you look at it.
Failure means you tried. You gambled, you stretched, you attempted, you dared, you risked, you weren't sure but did it anyway--failure is a formula for success.
Each time you fail, you are one step closer to succeeding. Fear of a "FAIL" will keep people--mostly our younger kids--from trying and believing and dreaming. No one wants to be laughed at or made fun of, but that's what our misuse of the word fail is breeding. Fear.
Make a pact with me now. If you use fail incorrectly, please stop. If you don't, please don't start. And when your kid shows you a "fail" picture of the Web, you can chuckle, but then take the time to point out that perhaps that person acted foolishly or used poor judgment, but that isn't what failure is about.
I know. This has nothing to do with walking, but sometimes things drop in to my head and party for awhile. I couldn't stop chewing on this one.
I'm better now,
Dani
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