Why do we fear failures? because it
draws flak? That people are highly opinionated and evaluate our performance only
to condemn and crucify and finally culminate with character assassination. “He
is a misfit”, “doesn’t know how to handle pressure”, “ill-equipped and lack the
faculty in the functioning of an enterprise”, “doesn’t have it in him in
becoming capable of carving a career". Comments as these sure aren’t a shot in the arm,
neither does it set your adrenalin rising, but dampens your enthusiasm and
deepens into depression. You start licking your wounds in self-pity or
incriminate yourself in self-condemnation. Do you know why? Because you took it
personally.
Recently I was
watching a program on the television with my family and there was this
toothpaste advertisement. The dentist visits the school and makes every student
undertake the gum test and one boy fails. Sneered by his bus mates, he sits
alone and aloof near a window when his best friend wraps his shoulder around
him and assures” hey chum, chin up! Remember, you didn’t fail. Your toothpaste
failed. Change your toothpaste. Simple”. I was reclining till then, but this advertisement
struck me hard that I sat upright. What a message through school kids. That’s
why I insist the message is important than the medium. After that I didn’t view
that program but read the message in that advertisement which kept replaying in
my mind. To me, the ad made more sense to drive home the point that it’s not
the person but the engagement that failed.
Professionals
will face failures – but it’s not they failed rather the venture failed, or, it
was a bad idea or the execution was poor. Whatever be it, even in failure, we
stand to gain – and that’s experience. “Good Judgment comes from experience and
Experience comes from bad Judgments..!” For a professional, failure is not
about giving up, but it’s about finding new ways to make it work.
People are
entitled to their opinion, and you can’t seal every lip that speaks against but
let it not disturb your sense of balance. If you have the maturity to respond
to adversity and prosperity likewise, then you will realize that you have
bettered yourself as a human. More often not, we tend to take the results
personally. When successful we gloat and blow our trumpet, and in debacle get
into depression. Triumph and tragedy are two impostors to be treated alike.
Steel unless tested with fire cannot be stronger. If you can overcome the
setbacks and still steer through the hardships by enduring, trust me, you will
be empowered as there is no better a teacher than failure. If failures are the
stepping stones of success, it’s when you really savor the taste of success.
Dare to defy –
and that includes fear of failure. You should overcome, overpower and overtake.
Outperformers are those who are smart enough to flush out the fear that
inhibits or impedes initiatives. For me aspirants are like those athletes who see
the hurdles on the track not as obstacles but as launch pads that provides them
an opportunity to take a leap.
