No one enjoys falling or making mistakes, yet failure is an inevitable part of life. Sometimes, life forces us to make difficult decisions and reinvent ourselves. I witnessed this firsthand with my sister, who moved from Puerto Rico to the U.S. with her husband and children, seeking a better life. After 26 years of marriage, she found herself at a crossroads. In a new state, without extended family nearby, she made the painful decision to divorce. The process was overwhelming, but she trusted her instincts and decided to start over.
A year later, the journey is still far from easy. However, one of the most memorable moments was when I visited her this past spring. We went to a karaoke night at a local restaurant, and there she was—smiling and dancing like I had never seen before. In that moment, I saw the power of embracing change and starting fresh, even after life’s most painful setbacks. It reminded me that the courage to restart can lead to new beginnings and unexpected happiness.
If you ask those around you—family, friends, colleagues—they will likely share similar stories of how failure was not the end, but a stepping stone to something better. As Nelson Mandela once said, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
While we can avoid exposing ourselves to minimize failure, doing so often means avoiding growth. Is that really the life you want, or do you want to discover what could happen if you follow your dreams or instincts?
Rosa Enid Arroyo-Vega
