Failure is a state or condition in which a desirable or expected goal is not achieved. It is the opposite of success. We can also say an individual has failed when that individual is unable to achieve a set objective or meet up with a target.
Due to the negative atmosphere failure carries, no one likes to be associated with it. A person who is known to always fail at a task cannot be recommended or reckoned with because it is assumed that he cannot attain success. If we can all have our way, we will prefer we do not fail at anything. However, failure as bad as it might could be used as a platform for attaining success. Failure is part of this human trajectory and should be welcomed as a ladder leading to remarkable possibilities and results. If we record success in all we do, we might not appreciate our growth rate and we might take all that we have achieved for granted. As a matter of fact, you might not give your best when you have not failed at it. Failure is the key to knowing what was wrong. The only sure way to ensure worthy success is to objectively look at a failed business and steal the knowledge that can shape a success story. There are no shortcuts or easy trips to big goals, and failures must be seen as full of opportunity and potential for success rather than the other way around. We really learn when failure pushes us towards difficult but necessary goals, and therefore we cannot truly be successful if we haven't failed.
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. This is true and deserves to be considered at a time when success becomes an essential indicator of individual and social value. A cursory examination of the biographies of prominent politicians, actors, academicians reveals that there are several important personalities, and their successes were often preceded by long stretches of wrestling and sets of setbacks. However, it was persistence and learning that made this possible, and whatever the context, it makes the difference. The question to ask in this regard is how to make the most of a terrible situation and ensure a smooth movement towards success. We don't have to be ashamed of failures because anyone who has achieved anything in life has faced at least some setbacks. You must learn from these failures and transform them into steps and get up and reach the top. The stepping stones here refer to the valuable lessons we learn from failures. We have several cases in history to show us that perseverance is what is important when you want to get great things in life. The story of Abraham Lincoln is a perfect example. Despite repeated falls, Lincoln never gave up and he became President of the United States at the age of 52.
Up to this point it has been a life of conflict for him. Lincoln lost a lot of money in business when he was 21. He was defeated in his bid to become a lawmaker at the age of 22. He tried his hand at business only to fail again at 24. He faces the death of a close friend at the age of 26, followed by a nervous breakdown the following year. He ran and lost two very important political elections, one for a seat in Congress and the other for the senator when he was 34 and 45, respectively. Lincoln failed in his bid to become vice president at 47 and missed a race for senator at 49. Anyone else would have just given up. But not Lincoln. He continued to try and was elected to the country's highest office as President of the United States at the age of 52.
The words I had in my heart when I read about Abraham Lincoln were “I didn't fail an inch like he failed.” This is not to say that we should wallow in our failure or set it up as an excuse for ourselves. Rather it should encourage us to try again. Perhaps you have failed seriously to pass medical or legal examinations, or you continue to fail in this decisive life. endeavour and you believe it’s time to find a new career, please think about it again and again before giving up. Have you tried investigating to see what exactly might be the reason you keep failing? It could be your approach to tasks, or your pace. You could also need help from people who have passed through that path. You need to take your gaze off today’s failure and let the success which you are trying to attain motivate you to do better.
I will share two life experiences and how they shaped my point of view on failure. The first will be when I was constantly flunking Mathematics in Junior Secondary School. From my first day in high school, I was sure I wasn't cut out for arithmetic or training to work in any row where I interacted with numbers. As a matter of fact, when I was in my second year, I had major issues. I was excellent with every other subject apart from Mathematics. My performance was way below average. My father threatened to change my school to a public school near my home where I would be flogged for failure. I was so scared. I didn’t want to start at a new school or go to a school where corporal punishment was the order of the day. I decided to do an evaluation when we resumed a new school term. I wasn’t pleased with my performance and more importantly, mathematics is a subject which I needed to pass before I can pursue the career path I desire. From my evaluation, I discovered that indeed I was above average with my grades, and I didn’t need to try so hard to get excellent grades. However, my mindset made me pay little or no attention to mathematics. Just as I would go over every topic taught per day for every subject, it was now necessary for me to do the same for mathematics. The issue was not that I could not comprehend, the issue was I was piling my homework and I failed to thoroughly practice. When I realized this, I tried another method. I changed my reading pattern. I spent more time talking to people who could help me get better instead of complaining. Now, I did not go from 0% to 100%. The change was a gradual one. I was able to appreciate my growth and I kept more effort at getting better each day.
Another very recent one was when I was trying to get a slot for a professional course on financial modelling. I had written several applications all by myself for months and I was rejected the first two times. I thought I would just give it all up and think of other things. I didn’t want some of my friends who had done the training know I have previously tried and did not get in. My ego was at stake, and I still felt the course was important for my career advancement. I decided to try one last time before giving up. Only this time, I let go of my ego and spoke to my friends who have signed up for the program. It turns out the only problem was that I failed to add a qualification which was important for selection. Wow! I have been qualified to take this course since day one, but I didn’t tidy up my application. I wasn’t a failure, after all. I just needed to try again and get all the help I could.
You might be feeling this way as well. You think it’s best to give up because your energy is spent trying again and again. You should try again. This time focus on achieving success. Consider your approach and see how you can do this in a better and easier way. The secret is to watch our failures and learn only what is necessary: the lessons they have taught us and to make sure that the next time we correct our mistakes. Rather than focusing on the apparent “catastrophe” that we have landed in, we should analyse our actions and determine what went wrong. Be sure that the next time around we change our behaviour to ensure a different outcome.
