Beauty for Ashes: The Virtuous Side of Failure

Beauty for Ashes is a nonfiction autobiographical account of the author's experience with failure and demonstrates that failure is an integral characteristic to ultimate success in any endeavor. It is about the ways in which failure is part of the process of learning and becoming our true, whole selves. In this way, it is inspirational and motivational to readers as it addresses the shame associated with failure and advocates that we view failure differently: as part of one's ambition in the process of striving. Failure is explained in such a way as to reveal that it is not something to be ashamed of but an important feature of the process of striving with many lessons that inform and shape what we become. The importance of understanding failure is that while we are running away from it and avoiding it, by embracing it, we gain power from our failures and valuable insights that inform us of the best way forward.

The fact of the matter is that failure is integral to ambition. However, there are many forces--cultural and otherwise--that conceal the manner in which we are hardwired to misinterpret failure in our lives. The stories herein seek to impress upon the reader greater insights through a retelling of accounts of the failures and lessons learned by others, highlighted as the virtues of failure. These accounts include patience, courage, self-awareness, perseverance, sustained effort, and knowing when to quit, to name a few. The virtues of failure are illustrated through a series of short exploits or case studies of a collection of public figures who faced failure and overcame adversity to reach even higher heights in their careers and lives through the lessons they have learned through failure.