I am a firm believer that sometimes NOT getting what you want or what you strived for may turn out to be the best thing for you. Sometimes it is a roadblock that you ultimately overcome to achieve your goal on subsequent tries. Other times it is a realization of another dream or simply the acceptance that you've been chasing the wrong one.
Don't confuse that with the notion that giving up is ok. Remember, 'fearless in the face of failure'. It's a fine line between brutal honesty with yourself and an indomitable spirit to forge ahead.
It's like Bruce Wayne's dad said, 'Why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn how to pick ourselves back up.' And then Bruce became Batman so who's the smart guy now?I'm about to turn 35 and only recently in the same ballpark as 'fit'. I can't be an NFL linebacker no matter how much I may work at it and hope for it. Most NFL linebackers don't see a snap past age 35. But while in pursuit of such a goal perhaps someone in a similar situation can discover a new one. Maybe training others in pursuit of the same dream, maybe coaching or maybe handball (Jake Plummer) or MMA (Michael Westbrook), politics (Heath Shuler) or sports journalism (Ross Tucker and just about everyone on the NFL Network).
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again... if you don't succeed again, try again... if your definition of success still eludes you, maybe your definition is flawed. Maybe your goal wasn't the endgame you thought it was. That's not to say those efforts were wasted. On the contrary, those efforts were worth every second. The problem is, the path you're on may not take you where you thought you were going. Where you are going, you need those experiences and you need the pain to make the realization of that ultimate goal that much sweeter.
The trick is finding the line between quitting and moving on. In the former you turn back because the path is too long or too steep and you never find a destination. In the latter, you simply find a new path. It may be longer, it may be steeper, but you're progressing.
Not getting what you want, not achieving your goals or realizing your time has passed isn't always the abject failure we believe it to be. Ignoring the lessons and refusing to apply them and move on is the failure. Or worse, never trying.
So I can say it... but can I live it? What's my dream? Where's my courage?
