Learn Your Way Forward: Featuring Diana Nyad
Have you ever looked at your life and wondered if you missed your chance? Maybe one dream took longer than expected, one mistake felt too costly, or one setback left you questioning whether it was worth trying again.
If that sounds familiar, take a deep breath. You are not disqualified. You are not behind. And your story isn’t over.
One simple quote has helped me in moments like that:
“There are only two options: I will either succeed, or I will learn.”
I used to keep those words posted at my desk at work. When I was struggling, I could glance up and remind myself that it was just a process.
Struggle is difficult. A stalled career, a broken relationship, or a health setback, it could be any number of obstacles that leave you wondering, How did I get here?
Psalm 119:71 offers a different way of looking at struggles and affliction:
“It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn...”
That does not mean pain is pleasant or that disappointment should be minimized. It means difficult seasons teach us, shape us, and prepare us for the future.
The Struggle Shapes Us
Think about a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. It may look like it needs rescuing, but in fact, the intense exertion is necessary for its survival. The physical pressure of breaking free forces vital fluid from its core deep into the vessels of its folded wings, expanding them for future flight.
The struggle is not proof that something has gone wrong; it is the exact mechanism required for becoming.
Our difficult years, mistakes, disappointments, unanswered questions, and broken dreams may be experiences we wish we could erase. But what if we do not have to? What if we can carry what they taught us into the next chapter? What if they were necessary for our future flight?
woman swimming in ocean
Failure Can Become Information
Diana Nyad’s story is a powerful example of this. Her dream was to swim 110 miles from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. She first attempted the crossing in 1978, when she was 28 years old, but she did not make it.
More than three decades later, at age 61, she returned to the challenge. She tried again and failed. She tried a third time and failed again. A fourth attempt in 2012 brought powerful currents, storms, severe shoulder pain, asthma, and dangerous jellyfish stings, forcing her to stop once more.
Then, in 2013, at 64 years old, Nyad entered the water for the fifth time. Nearly 53 hours and about 110 miles later, she reached Key West. What made the difference was not that failure disappeared. It was that each attempt had taught her something she needed for the next one.
Nyad did not simply repeat the same approach and hope for a different result. She adjusted, adapted, and learned her way forward. Sometimes failure does not mean you are going backward. Sometimes it means you are gathering what you need for the next attempt.
You Are Not Starting Over
This matters especially as we get older. It is easy to look back and count what did not happen: the finances that are not where we hoped, the career that changed direction, the marriage that ended, the health that shifted, the years spent caring for others, or the dreams that still feel unfinished.
But maybe you are not starting from nothing. Maybe you are starting with everything you have learned.
· At 25, you may have had energy but little perspective.
· At 40, you may have had experience but were still discovering who you were.
· At 50, 60, or beyond, you may finally understand things about yourself that took decades to learn.
You know things now that you could not have known then. You have survived things you once thought would break you. You have learned what matters, what does not, which battles are worth fighting, and which ones are not yours to carry. Those are not wasted years; they are wisdom you bring into whatever comes next.
Try, Learn, and Adjust
The “succeed or learn” mindset changes how we approach the next chapter. It gives us permission to begin without demanding a guarantee.
· Want to get healthier? Take one doable step. If you have a setback, learn from it and adjust.
· Want to improve your finances? Try a plan. If it does not work, use what you learned to make a better one.
· Want to write, paint, sew, garden, travel, create, or build something new? Begin. If the first version is not right, let it teach you what is.
· Want to simplify your home or rebuild your confidence? Start small. One drawer, one decision, one brave step still counts.
Not every attempt will succeed. But every honest attempt can teach you something. Sometimes the lesson is simply, That did not work. Let’s try another way. That is not wasted effort. That is growth.
What If the Struggle Is Preparing You?
Psalm 119:71 does not ask us to pretend suffering is easy. It invites us to believe that God can use even what hurts. He can teach us through it. He can grow patience, perseverance, compassion, humility, courage, wisdom, and strength in places comfort often cannot reach.
Sometimes we do not realize we are becoming stronger because, in the middle of the struggle, all we can think about is how much we want it to end. But one day we may look back and recognize, I learned something there. I became someone there. God was still working there.
You Are Not Finished
If something in your life has not worked out, it may be time to ask a different question. Not, “Why did I fail?” but, “What did I learn?”
Take that lesson with you. Adjust your course. Try again. Or let the lesson lead you somewhere entirely different. You may not know exactly what waits on the other side of this season, but you can take the next step with everything you have learned.
You are not too old. You are not too far behind. You are not disqualified because life did not go according to plan. You are not starting with nothing.
You are starting with wisdom, resilience, and hard-won strength. So try the thing. Take the step. Begin again. If you succeed, celebrate it. If you do not, learn from it.
So here is your invitation
Choose one small thing you can do today. Not the whole plan. Not the perfect plan. Just one faithful step. Write it down, pray over it, tell someone you trust, or simply begin where you are.
And if that step does not lead where you expected, do not call it failure too quickly. Ask what it can teach you, adjust with grace, and keep moving forward.
