One of the saddest things in the world is a good, never published novel.

Even sadder -- not writing the novel for fear of that sadness.

I'm not speaking from personal experience here.  Luckily.  Although someday, I may spend the time to write a novel, which may or may not sit in a drawer, or on my computer.

But this morning I was thinking about a friend who wrote a novel -- a good novel -- 15 years ago.  It still unpublished and almost certainly will never be published.

That is, of course, sad.  You pour your heart and soul into writing a book, it takes a lot of time and sacrifice, and almost no one ever reads it.

But it's not all sadness.

In the process of writing his manuscript, my friend honed his narrative and writing skills.  He proved that he could write an entire book.  And his second book was successfully published, his publisher gave him a big advance for his third book, which will be coming out next February.

What are the lessons from this that you can apply to your life?

You don't have to want to write a book to benefit from his story.

The reality is that when we try, and fail, we learn something, if we are open.

Giving in ways you've never given before would be one example.  There is no guarantee you will succeed, but you hone your giving skills.

And of course this applies beyond giving, to pretty much every aspect of your life.

So take a few moments to see if you can relate to the experience of trying and failing, and then succeeding to your life.

And then give your big dreams a shot.