Don’t Let Failure Win

You can never understand failure until it knocks at your door and then you let it in. Failure can be in any form. You could fail your exam or you could fail in your relationship or you could fail in your business but how you handle the outcome determines if you are ever going to let success win or will you let the failure to dominate for the rest of your life.

I will start with myself. For the first time in my life, I failed an exam. It took me courage to share this on my blog. Well, you ought to know that life comes with ups and downs no matter who is in the picture. Failure respects no one. If you do the wrong thing, you are definitely going to fail and sometimes, you do everything right but it still doesn’t work out. In my school, I am known as one of the best students. My friends were shocked that I actually failed. To them if everyone fails, I should definitely pass. Well I know while I failed, I didn’t prepare for the exam as I was supposed to. I got used to my success in exams that I relaxed a bit. The truth is, the biggest obstacle to your future success is your past success. When you keep holding on to the achievements you have made in the past, you might start neglecting to put in the necessary work as you ought to. My advice to you is, never get too comfortable because, when you do, you might miss out on your future success.

After I failed, I didn’t need anyone to tell me to sit up and do the needful. I studied that particular subject through out my holiday. When school resumed, I retook the exam and by the grace of God, I got grade A in it. Failing that course almost affected my self esteem and my confidence when it comes to exams. I was like, what if I fail again? The exam was computer-based, it is so different from the normal oral school exams. I just didn’t know what to expect, I just kept praying to God and studying. On the day of the re-sit, I felt this peace and excitement within me. I was like, I have studied really well and so, I should come out in flying colours this time. Lo and behold, I performed really well after the exam and I am grateful that my hard-work paid off.

One of the reasons people fail in any sphere of life is because they lacked knowledge or that they didn’t prepare well before embarking on that journey. A guru in business is less likely to fail than a person that just started business. As a starter, You should prepare yourself so well by reading business books and learning from people that have succeeded in their businesses.

As a student, you need to know your strengths and what works for you. How do you study best? Do you need to read the topic more than once before you can remember. Do you study best with images and sounds? Do you study best in a group or alone. Do you study best by making notes? When you realise what works best for you, then you will reduce the rate at which you fail.

You failed and then what?

I have seen really brilliant students fail and they give up on wanting first class in their school certificates. I have read of people who failed in their marriages and then they gave up on love. I have seen people fail in business and they quit. If you keep quitting, how long do you want to do it? Life will throw so many shades at you but you must keep your head high and walk. Failure has the power to push you to the next level and the power to push you backwards, it all depends on how you handle it.

When you fail, the first thing you ought to do is to find out what you did wrong. After that, then you will know how to tackle the situation to avoid failing the second time. You know, nothing under the earth is new. What ever you want to do, someone must have done it, and that is why we have mentors and coaches. You might do yours a little different from the one which has been done but the principles are the same. Someone first manufactured phones before new models came out. Check the first phones that came out and the new phones we use today, they have the basic things in common like the batteries, screens, keys and others. You only realise that new functions were added to make life easier. All I am trying to say is, try to learn from people who have done what you want to do. Just get an idea and elaborate on it.

Don’t ever let failure win. When you fail in anything, try to get it right the next time. In my opinion, failing something should be a motivation and not a setback. Failing should be an uplift and not a downfall. Sometimes, failure happens for us to look around our surroundings and find something new. When you keep doing the same thing over and over and again, you might want to look around and find something new. Sometimes failure happens for us to understand other people. If I didn’t fail, maybe I would not have understood what it means for a student to fail an exam. How they battle with their self-esteem, thinking that they are not brilliant enough. After failing an exam, I am in a good position to advice a student that just failed an exam and the necessary things he/she can do differently.

Do not ever feel that you are not good enough. Do not loose your self-esteem or self worth because you failed, rather use failure as a motivation to keep pushing till you reach your goal in life. Remember your greatest obstacle is your previous break-through, so don’t get too comfortable.

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