After flunking the exam, shame became harder to face than failure.
The Fear of Failure
After days of preparation, I went to give the exam under immense pressure. A failure was something I felt I simply could not afford. It would be shameful. After praying, I set off for the exam hall with nervousness running through my mind.
As the exam began, the pressure only increased. The difficulty for me was even completing my assignment. Thoughts of self-doubt and fear made it hard for me to concentrate. Somehow, I completed the examination and went home, feeling very tired and emotionally drained.
I was hesitant to let my partner know. There was a feeling of shame and disappointment within me. Even though I tried my hardest not to reflect these emotions through my facial expressions, I had to admit that my inner turmoil had started.
“What next?”
“Should I try once more?”
“Am I really capable?”
The Support That Matters
As time passed by and I got a bit more settled, it hit me and I decided to start thinking about the entire ordeal. It was then that I felt extremely grateful to God for having my partner there for me.
He simply said:
“You will give the exam once again, that’s it. Even in failure, you must have learned a lot.”
True.
We often miss the value hidden behind every experience. There is always a lesson behind both success and failure. Unfortunately, we are conditioned only to celebrate success. Anything less than success and we are taught to strive harder, and be embarrassed by our failures and shortcomings.
Our eyes often get blurred by the glitter of success and become watery with the pain of failure.
Why do we rarely pause to see the positive side of failure too?
The Lessons Hidden in Failure
One of the first adages I learned in life was: “Failures are the stepping stones to success.”
I still remember my local guardian, who taught me many values in life. He used to patiently and meticulously explain the meaning behind such sayings. At that young age, they sounded simple. But as life unfolded, I slowly began to understand their true depth.
Why do we rarely look at the positive side of failure?
In many ways, it could very well be that it is these failures that actually lead us towards success. They teach us things and make us strong, humble, and wise.
Slowly, I started seeing God’s plan in the situation. Maybe it was just God’s way of making me work a bit harder.
Behind Every Big Success Story Lies a Story of Failure
In the whole wide world, all the success stories that we read and admire have not just risen up suddenly in the morning hours. Every success story that we read is built on the foundation of rejection, difficulties, struggles, uncertainties, and a lot of failures.
But what made them different from others is that while other people gave up after failing a few times, they didn’t give up.
Failure is proof that we tried.
Failure is Part of Life That Must be Taught to the Coming Generation
I strongly believe we must teach the next generation that failures are an undeniable part of life. There is no escape from them.
All we can do is accept them for what they are and see to it that they don’t affect us in anyway.
It is essential to tell the next generation from childhood that failing in life is very normal. This is what will help them cope with life in a better manner without being emotionally fragile.
The fact that I see people today become depressed, or even commit suicide because of a failure breaks my heart. Life is so much more than any examination, result, or failure.
Failures are not the scale to measure one’s success.
A Final Thought
Failures will come and go. Some may hurt deeply. Some may shake our confidence. But failure is full of lessons, direction, and chances for improvement.
Let failures not rule our lives. Let the lessons from those failures rule our lives instead. Take failure in your stride and keep improving for a better result. Positive outcomes achieved after trying harder and trying better always taste much sweeter.