Ashley,

Remember this also. You are not your mistakes, or your failures, or yours victories. Just because you made a mistake does not mean you are a mistake. Just because you failed does not mean you are a failure. Just because you won does not mean you are a winner.

We often form this irrational attachment to the outcome of an event and then allow this outcome to define us, to say something about us. The way to overcome this tendency is to view everything as a lesson, every mistake or failure or victory or accomplishment. They all have something to teach us and therefore something to offer us. This realization also leads to a state of constant gratitude: you see everything as a potential teacher that gives you some value and helps you grow.

You might have heard a variation of this quotation. “From life’s school of war: what does not kill me makes me stronger” by Nietzsche. Learning to see everything as a lesson is the key to a stronger you.

Dain