Checkered by Failure

I was talking to a friend in the MBA program the other day.  She was a little down because she had been rejected by a company she had interviewed with for an internship.  She said to me "This is the first time I have interviewed for a job and not been offered it."  (Of course, that may sound a little arrogant, but I think she was just stating a fact and pointing out it was a new experience for her).  I responded, "Well then maybe you aren't taking enough risks in life." And we had a good little conversation about taking risks.

This morning I saw the following quote, one of my favorites, and it reminded me of the conversation with my friend.

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

I love this principle.  The principle that the worst place to be isn't last place, but sitting at home watching the race on TV, wondering how you could have done, and what you might have accomplished if you had only tried.  

So often we don't try because of fear.  What we need isn't more physical strength or more intelligence, it is more faith, and more trust in a loving heavenly Father.  The following quote has helped me have more faith.  

“God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as he always has.  But he can’t if you don’t pray, and he can’t if you don’t dream.  In short, he can’t if you don’t believe.” - Elder Holland

So, in the end, I think the rejection my friend received was actually a great success.  She had the faith to try, and the faith to move forward.  By the way, she just emailed me letting me know she has an offer from another company for an internship.