Failure: Seven years after graduating from college international best selling author J.K. Rowling believed she was the biggest failure she knew. She had failed on what she terms an 'epic scale;' divorced  young mother, unemployed and penniless.

Failure set her free.

It stripped away all of the inessentials. She was liberated to do the only thing she ever really wanted to do; finish the work that called her.

Perhaps it's time to redefine the possibilities that failure, falling down offer us. What if on the other side of this current falling down, this failure; the tunnel extends further than we could ever imagine? What if, without this ending, this door slam, this disappointment we might never experience the light that is waiting, the possibility of something far better?

What constitutes failure for you?

For me it's in the not trying. It's when I let fear or worry, anxiety keep me from following the path, diving into those things, relationships and ventures that engage my heart, head and hands.

I guess I've been an epic failure too.

Divorced, single, unemployed entrepreneur, rebellious teenagers, business closures, financial tragedies…

Failure I've learned is never fatal and I agree with J.K. Rowling, for me failure has  been a rock solid foundation from which to forge a deep understanding of who I am and who I am not.

The importance of curiosity and Imagination.

The fountain of innovation, the power of empathy. Imagination is the gateway to possibility. I love how she ties imagination to empathy and then to possibility. You see it is when we can imagine another, ponder what it feels like to be another that we are best suited to relate and connect in a deep meaningful way. So let your frontal lob imagine, allow focus to blur and move into that land of contemplation. Ask the question what if?  And then spend time imagining the people you know, their lives, projects, businesses,ventures and see where it takes you.

Perhaps, as you and I engage our imaginations we will find ourselves more deeply engaged in knowing and relating.

We can learn without doing. You and I can use our imaginations to understand others and to contemplate new possibilities for ourselves.

We don't need magic, J. K. Rowling reminds, we have all the power within us; the power to imagine, to experience and to empathize.None of us is merely our resume, accomplishments or possessions.

What constitutes success for you?

For me its is a moment by moment journey building on top of my rock bottom, solid foundation of failure, a life that illuminates possibility, hope and empathy.

Pam Hoelzle