Learning how to fail.

So I'm watching an old school episode of Wife Swap and one of the families is an extreme sports family. They "compete to win at all costs."It made me immediately realize that when I have kids, I don't ever want to be that mom.Don't get me wrong. I want my kids to find things they are passionate about. I want all of the members of our family to excel at the things they love and be the best they can be. But I also want to teach my kids that its okay to fail.If you constantly pressure yourself and the others around you to win at all costs, you also learn that failure is not an option.Newsflash. Life is full of failure. And if you've never faced failure, it will push you down, kick the crap out of you, and laugh as you cry in the fetal position.I know, because I discovered that the hard way. And the first time I faced true failure, I let it beat me up and I picked my tattered self up and ran away. While I had never been pressured to succeed at all costs, I had never faced failure. It wasn't until I went to college that failure rared its nasty head.Failure took me down kicking and screaming and for the first time in my life I felt completely disoriented and lost. I was knocked off my path, and honestly, I still haven't figured out what path I want to be on. I've decided that having everything figured out is okay. And even though I don't have the rest of my life planned out, I know I'll make it through with some amazing adventures and memories to reflect on in the end.I'm still learning how to fail. I'm learning how to fall without bruising so easily. And I'm learning how to get back up and keep moving forward.