I woke up at 4:45 a.m. with failure running through my mind. Failure, dressed up as a three-year-old boy who swallowed six cups of sugar and missed his nap. And he's playing with fire. I've spent the greater part of my life worried about failure (somehow convincing myself I'm just one bad decision from working in a cubicle again), but here's one thing I've come to know: Failure is a GOOD thing.

To give you a better sense of my failures, here are a few:
I didn't learn how to read until I was 11 years old.
Got fired from my first job as a telemarketer.
I graduated summa cum laude from college, but took a job as a waitress when I couldn't get hired elsewhere.
Quit a management job at Nordstrom just five months after being hired.
Got a new waitressing job.
Went to law school, then I dropped out.
Worked in a cubicle and ate lunch at my desk everyday because I was too miserable to make friends.
A few years into my business, I invited hundreds of people to an industry party I hosted and less than 10 people showed up.
I was publicly shamed as a photographer.

And this is just the short list.

So while there are mornings when my failures lurk in the shadows of my mind, I understand that every failure has made me better. Every misstep left me broken/softer/stronger/resilient/determined and every moment I choose to walk toward my dreams, I put greater distance between me and my fears. If you're afraid of failing, you're afraid of learning how to get better.

Failure is a GOOD thing.