Stay in the Failure

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Daily Thought

"We avoid discomfort, but in fleeing difficulty we forfeit wisdom." - Scott Clary

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When life sours, resist the sugar.

We've all heard it: "When handed lemons, make lemonade."

A sweet sentiment, but one that glosses over necessary lessons.

One of my favorite sayings: "We avoid discomfort, but in fleeing difficulty we forfeit wisdom."

When disappointment strikes, we distance. We rationalize. The mind panics:

"Don't linger here!"

So we shut out the sources of bitterness. The could-have-beens haunt while we cling to hypotheticals—anything to avoid sitting with the discomfort of now.

Yet in rushing past failure, a pivotal chance slips by. The opportunity to mine adversity for essential understandings:

→ Why did things go sideways?

→ Where exactly were the breaches?

→ How can we fortify for the future?

Growth emerges not from lemonade, but from first tasting the lemons.

When a launch flounders or a deal collapses, resist sugar-coating. Instead, lean into the uncomfortable. Forensically itemize:

Where did things first crack?

How did trouble then spread?

Were there warnings signs we ignored?

Sitting with failure's full bitterness unlocks lasting lessons. By brewing with lemons rather than icing over them, we distill an antidote to repeat mistakes.

So when faced with soured plans, listen to that leader's counsel: Don't hide from discomfort. Stay. Understand. Then perhaps—slowly, wisely—the lemonade will flow.