FAILURE IS NOT FINAL.

Whoever penned those words needs a medal!

I have failed tests! I have burned food! I have made grammar mistakes. I have given wrong advice. I have been embarrassed!

Yes, it hurts for a little while, but it is NECESSARY as you travel this road called life. And man oh man have I had some failures on my journey as I was working and walking out my calling.

I recall one year in college singing a solo in front of a couple of hundred people and not only hitting a wrong note, but staying on it for a very, looooong time. My choir buddies laughed at me! Go ahead, you can laugh! I do.

Failure? Perhaps! Embarrassing? Yes! Quit Singing In Front of Audiences? No!

I recall another time leading a song in front of a large audience. I sang it in a key that was too high for me. The director stopped the song and had the musicians start again in a lower key. I still sang it too high and butchered the song horribly! After the concert, people I spoke with looked at me like, “you poor thing….I am embarrassed for you…you did HORRIBLE!

Failure? Perhaps! Embarrassing? Yes! Quit Singing in Front of Large Audiences? No!

I recall another time when I spoke to a group of women during a conference after dinner. I had a great topic and everyone was ready to tune in. However, it went south from there! My speech had no humor and I did not do a good job of keeping their attention. I even saw some people nodding. When I was looking for an amen or a head nod, all I got were crickets and an occasional snort!

Failure? Perhaps! Embarrassing? Yes! Quit Speaking in Front of Large Audiences? No!

While I had some failures, I have had many more successes! I have sang many more times in front of audiences and brought tears to eyes. I have spoken to many more audiences and was told one time that I changed someone’s mind who was considering taking their own life.

If I would have stopped because of the failure, I would have lost an opportunity to save someone’s life.

While operating in my God-given talents, I have encountered, am encountering, and will encounter failure and obstacles along the way. However, I have resolved that I will not change my course no matter what comes my way. It is the path designed for me. I must keep on keeping on! The calling we have on our life is SERIOUS! It is a matter of life and death!

Friends, what were you put on this earth to do?

If you know what you are supposed to do and aren’t doing it, WHY? It is a matter of life and death! I am not trying to scare you; I want you to see how important your calling is!

And please understand, operating in your calling is not easy, so stop thinking it will be! Stop believing the lie that if it is from God, that it will be all peaches and cream! Nope, my Bible says “we must take up our cross and follow Christ.”

No one wants to work hard anymore and no one wants to face failure. Unfortunately, you must encounter and endure both if you are going to fulfill that purpose that only you can.

….And you have to keep on keeping on!

Friends, it is time to stir up the gift placed in you, walk in your God-given purpose and make a difference in the world.

Whether purpose is birthed from pain or pleasure, someone focused on a single purpose … someone who has resolved to keep on keeping on is a force to be reckoned with. Ask Thomas Edison.

His teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was fired from his first two jobs for being “non-productive.” As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

Thomas Edison kept on keeping on….despite repeated, unsuccessful attempts.

Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC, started his dream at 65 years old! He got a social security check for only $105 and was mad. Instead of complaining he did something about it. He thought restaurant owners would love his fried chicken recipe, use it, sales would increase, and he’d get a percentage of it. He drove around the country knocking on doors, sleeping in his car, wearing his white suit. He was told no 1009 times before he got the first yes!

Col Sanders kept on keeping on….despite being told no 1009  times.

Are you willing to persist and see it through despite rejection and repeated, failed attempts?

Visiting this webpage (http://theboldlife.com/2013/07/11-must-have-tips-for-perseverance-and-success/), I found the following by Tess,

The path to success is difficult indeed.

Pursuing your dreams requires long days and difficult nights.

Your ideas will get rejected.

People will turn you down.

You will make mistakes.

You feel alone and often defeated.

You face speed bumps, obstacles and detours that seem insurmountable.

You feel discouraged, disappointed and downtrodden.

There is one thing that will guide you through long days and difficult nights. It’s perseverance. You must resolve to keep on keeping on.

Perseverance is not a personality trait.

It’s a choice to persist, dig deep, and take action when it feels like the world is working against you.

It’s the willingness to overcome exhaustion, resistance, and unpleasant circumstances.

It’s the courage to work hard, stick-to-it and press on no matter what.

It’s the desire to keep on keeping on!

When you feel like giving up….

When your resolve to keep on keeping is waning…

 

We all have a purpose and no one else can do it but you!

Michael Sage penned these words….

Keep On Keeping On

We’ve all had times, when the going gets tough

The smooth ride suddenly, feels bumpy and rough

The good times are gone, it’s all rather gruff

You let out a sigh and exclaim – “I’ve had enough”

We are all entitled at times, to gripe and to moan

What’s happened to my life, you say with a groan?

My backpack seems weighed down, by a very big stone

How do I move away, from this miserable zone?

When a curved ball hits you, through a trick or a con

Remember the good days, when the sun always shone

Go forward with the belief, that you already have won

The best advice I can give, is to keep on – keeping on

Your calling is a matter of life or death!

Operate in it and keep on keeping on!

Spicing Up Your Soul