Failure is the Ultimate Tutor

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.