The world is filled with clips and quips of falsehoods. It is neither perfect nor fair. We are flawed humans stumbling through life, trying to do our best. Trust not those who profess perfection. Instead, trust and admire those who preach their imperfection. Trust those who acknowledge their failures, despite the discomfort. Far more is learned and gained by those who accept failure than by those who ignore it.
My heroes are not those behind facades. They are not the ones who portray a false reality of perfection—or even near perfection. My heroes are those who honor the lessons bestowed upon them in the face of failure. They accept the flawed human existence and strive for impossible perfection, fully aware it’s an unobtainable goal. They share their failures so others might not bear the same burdens. They offer their stories so both the individual and the collective can grow. My heroes are true and honest. In the face of adversity, they thrive because they embrace the realities others ignore.
The world is hard. Success is earned, not given. Relationships are built—not materialized from nothing. Be the person you want others to be. Set the example, because someone is always watching—even if it’s no one else but yourself. Every moment, every lesson, every word we experience shapes who we are and how we think.
I have failed often. I have not always been my best. I have not always been who I needed to be—for others or for myself. But I try every day to be better. I make mistakes in my marriage, but I never give up. I fail constantly at work, but I get back up. I have fallen short in friendships, but I try again.
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Jake Smith is a law enforcement officer and former Army Ranger with four deployments to Afghanistan.
As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.
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