Almost everyone of us is familiar with the very well known proverb that failures are the stepping stones to success. They say that to achieve success failure is a must and almost all the renowned and pre-eminent personalities who got the opportunity to climb the stairs of immortality had to face the torment of failure at least once in their lifetime. But there is one question still unanswered. Does failure necessarily lead to success? And the most important point, is the concept of failure and success necessarily applicable to each and every individual who wants to do something profound in their life? Let us understand the same with the help of a story.
Once there were four boys studying in the same class and all of them were weak in their academic studies. They all wanted to do something big in their life but almost all of them were devoid of self confidence and they were all aware that they would probably fail in their final examination. When their academic results got published the first one among them fortunately got good results and he went on to improve further. However, the rest three boys failed miserably as it was expected. The second boy among the four took his failure in a positive way and he made firm decisions to learn from his mistakes to give all he can in his rest life. The third boy among them only thought that since failures eventually lead to success he’ll surely achieve his dream one or the other day and he went on dreaming hoping that his dreams will come true although knowing simultaneously that he’s making almost no attempt to make his dream come true. The fourth boy in turn couldn’t bear the anguish of failure and he gave up for ever.
Now tell me how will you say that failures necessarily lead to success if the story of the third and the fourth boy is considered as the base of your judgement? What I want to mean is that neither I’m against the proverb not it’s idea. It’s so flawless that failures have potentiality to teach us far more than success can but it will be fruitful only when the very person who failed is willing to make certain adaptations. Merely going through repeated failures and hoping to, somehow, taste success one day is nothing more than delusory. A failure can only be a stepping stone if it’s firmly placed to lead you to your desired goal, otherwise it’s just a worthless piece of rock blocking your progress. In fact, I find this whole idea of exaggerating failures in order to achieve success utterly useless.
So what should be our attitude towards failure if in case we encounter it (which we’ll surely do today or tomorrow)? Here are some ways to develop a positive attitude towards failures:
The first and the most important point is that if you want to achieve something never think about the obstacles which will come along the way right at the beginning ’cause the more you’ll think the more it will make you anxious.
Remember you’re not the only person fighting for your dreams and undergoing the excruciating hours of failure. Thomas Edison, whose most memorable invention was the light bulb took him 1,000 tries before he developed a successful prototype. “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” a reporter asked. “I didn’t fail 1,000 times,” Edison responded. “I discovered rather 999 ways in which a light bulb cannot be made”.
Remember experience is life’s greatest teacher. You’re failure may seem fruitless to you at present but the same can be your greatest strength if you’re willing to change yourself.
[8:22 PM, 4/25/2021] Mrunal Shah: Do not let hurdles creep into your talks with others. Avoid talking negative about anything. Always smile when talking to others and be positive in your speech. Develop a positive and hopeful outlook towards life in general.
Never confuse ‘set backs’ with ‘failures’. We all suffer from various set backs in our lives but we don’t actually fail until we give up. Any situation or outcome cannot be termed as a failure. It’s our own perspective which decides whether we’re a failure or not in the long run.
Remember even if you conquer every height and make every possible effort there’ll still remain a sigh that you could have done better. So never let anything demotivate you and reward yourself for what you’ve got through your hard work rather thinking about those which you failed to achieve.
No doubt we all feel an emotional low after we have failed, that is natural in all human and inevitable. But how we respond to our failures is what determines our road to success. If you feel an emotional low after you have failed, read or listen to stories of people like Walt Disney or J.K. Rowling and their journey to where they are now. Remember nobody just becomes a genius in one day, it is the result of many sleepless nights and perseverance. There was a time when even Shakespeare had to go through the ABC’S of English and Einstein had to learn calculus. So believe in your dreams, never give up and remember to make your decisions wisely and of course firmly. Only then you’ll be surprised to discover how the Alps and the Himalayas are sinking before you.
