“Every failure you experience is a fork in the road.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2000-03-08) from his book, Failing Forward: How to Makethe Most of Your Mistakes (p. 52). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Have you found that true? You have a choice to make and it is a critical choice. Do I go right or left? As John says, “It's an opportunity to take the right action, learn from your mistakes, and begin again.”

But so many choose the self-pity road. I can never do anything right. Everything is against me. I can’t believe this is happening to me. And they keep on the failure freeway and never get off of it until they decide to change the way they think and then do something about it.

John shares the “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters” by Portia Nelson, which “describes the process of exiting the failure freeway: Chapter 1. I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost. I am helpless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. Chapter 2. I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I am in the same place, but it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out. Chapter 3. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in. It's a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately. Chapter 4. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it. Chapter 5. I walk down another street.”

It is a choice.

So which one is it?

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