[#72 Lesson] Try, Try and Try Again

This life lesson relates to my previous blog #72 Walk on a Glacier.

I usually try to avoid diving too deep into the world of clichés, but this title was just too perfect. My first attempt was foiled by a lack of money. My second attempt was due to inclement weather. And even the third attempt was affected by the weather, but I managed to cross this one off the list.

There are a few items on the list that I have had one crack at, and failed, but this is the only one that has taken me three attempts. It really is true what they say, the harder it is to achieve something, the more rewarding it becomes when you do achieve it.

Perhaps I was just being stubborn with this particular glacier in Franz Josef. I have had countless friends who have tried to go on it as well and suffered the same fate due to the weather. It appears to be elusive to many of us. This was the first glacier that I tried to set foot on, and I think I formed a mental attachment to it. Or rather, a mental block.

I was fixated on making it on to this glacier. Every time that I visited the South Island, I found some way to fit this into the plans. Eventually my perseverance, or stubbornness, paid off and I got what I wanted.

After I finally crossed this one off the list, I sat back and reflected on my bucket list journey to that point in time. When I first made the list in 2010, it looked like a hell of a lot of fun. I had visions of trip after trip, year after year, and nothing but fun. Perhaps I was just young and naïve at 19 years old when I started the list, but I did not anticipate the setbacks and adversity that would be involved.

My first attempt at this item was my first failure on the bucket list and I didn’t take it very well. I was really bummed out that something could be so close and not become a reality. I eventually convinced myself to brush this one off as it was a rare occurrence and that this wouldn’t happen much more. Boy, was I wrong…

Only a few months later, I ran into my struggles with #36 Run a Half Marathon. Then in 2015 I failed at this one again. In 2017, I was travelling through Europe and had my sights set on going to La Tomatina and Oktoberfest, but an injury thwarted both of those plans.

Over the years I have come to learn that failure and success are intertwined in a very intimate relationship. Often great successes follow on from at least one failure along the way. My delusions of smooth sailing through the bucket list are gone and I look at the remaining items with realistic eyes. I know there will be more setbacks and failures before my journey ends. All I can do is try, try and try again.

When have you experienced setbacks or failures in achieving your life goals? How did you overcome them? Let me know in the comments below.

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