Have you ever failed before? Never? Once? Twice? Does it really matter?
There was a time I was afraid of failure, really scared. I was eighteen years old and was very sick while writing exams, I was so sure I was going to fail and be kicked out of pharmacy school.
This morning I saw one of my notebooks from that era and I found that I even wrote a little (almost bad) poem, about being afraid. I didn’t give it a title and I’m pretty sure I wrote it in a hurry. Here’s the poem.
Everyone or at least everyone is happy for me,
I’m on stage one of my life’s journey,
I feel so inadequate, I’ve let this fear rule my life,
What a pity!
I’m so alone and frightened,
It feels like I’m on shaky ground.
I don’t think I can go on anymore,
I’m almost afraid to trust God,
What if his will is not for me to succeed?
I’ve never failed before,
Now failure is facing me in the face
I’ve had hard times, bitter moments and horrible experiences,
Yet I’ve never failed before.
I know there’s a first time for everything but I don’t think I can face it now.
Mercifully, I didn’t fail then. However I’ve failed many times since then, academically, financially, in romantic relationships- spectacularly even. At that time though, I wasn’t strong enough to bear it. Since then I’ve learnt that failure actually makes one stronger and that our worst fears are never really as bad as our mind conceives them.
Do I like failure? No way! I definitely hate the feeling of loss and shame when I don’t get the things I want, the things I set out to achieve. At those times, it was hard to believe that something good would come out of the setback but every time, I’ve always come out of such experiences a better and richer person.
Failure isn’t an enemy, sometimes it’s the step one in the journey to success… it’s just that It’s pretty hard to believe that when you’re down.
What’s your view on failure?
Emporium of Words 
I think failure is that thing that makes some parents see their children differently not knowing it’s hard enough already on the child
Wow!
That is so true!
Some parents have no idea how to handle their children’s failure and most times the kids are more afraid of their parents reaction than failure itself.
However even if a child fails, it shouldn’t change the way the parents view their child. A parent’s love and support is usually all the child needs to bounce back.
Gbemi… how far our series? Do we need to come and arrest you ni?
You are so right dear. . . and don’t come and arrest me o *hehehehehehe* I’m bringing the series back before this week runs out! No vex ehn. . . I’d try not to fail
End of this week, abi? I’m watching you in 3D
Hahahahahaha. . . okay na! 3D it is!
Failure oh Failure! I always was Afraid to Fail as well Nne.. Afraid of what the world would say.. Afraid to let Father down.. But growing up has taught me a lot.. and top of the list of all the ghen ghen things life has taught this 23 years 10 months 20 day old man abi na boy (You sha choose with your church mind) is that failure is a Reminder that we are not perfect.. It is a Reminder that we are just like eFFery one else.. It EEz a reminder and a punch in the face for us to do and BE better. Something Happened to me years back.. and to me back then yeah.. Life as I knew it was Over,.. But Otunne.. fats forward to toady Ada.. GOD is good.. and in as much as i hate to say it ba… i am a tad happy that I failed.. cause the failure of that time made me the growing man of Today..
To anyboRRy reading this.. My Advice is simple.. **In Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice.. “Dont be Afraid to Fail Gang.. But be VERY VERY (VERY X 10 sev) Afraid to live a future life of regret, simply because you were afraid to fail… Cheers Nne.. This was a ghen ghen read.. and the crowd goes… Oooooossshheeey Turn uP!.
Duru! Your comments are always epic!
You’re a man jare, you’re achieving things people twice your age can only dream of.
Failure can be a good thing, it’s dwelling on it that’s terrible.
Thanks for stopping by Otunne, udo diri gi
Hiya Otunne.. How are you Bubba.. Please eh! Eweliwe oh Nwanyi Oma.. unu? Biko ehn, a nominate gi for the Ms Verstaile Award on the Young and Confused Blog.. Please Ada.. I beg you in the name of my Blue DEXTRON Journal.. Please do the challenge.. Pretty please Nne.. Oya please nah.. eez beg that aYam begging nah.. Plllllleeeeaasee..
The link is: http://duruadolphusjnr.blogspot.com.ng/2015/09/oshey-versatile-ke-we-nefer-hexsperred.html
Thank you in Advance Ada.. Ehen.. Please Bring Orange and Lime for me and come eh! **shines Teeth…
How timely, Ada-Daddii!!!
Just going through a ‘failure’ in my life right now and I tell you, I’ve never felt so free!!!
Thank you for sharing this.
You’re welcome Adanne
My favourite thing about failure is the freedom that it brings, the worst that can happen has happened… the only way now is up.
But I gotta ask this… where are my stories?
😘😘😘
There they are.
No, seriously, they will come. Obele oge, inugo?
Well the fear of failure inspired you to write a poem and your past failures have given you stories like this one to tell. So there’s hope for those who fail.
Yes, there is!
We fail, but its a lesson to learn in order to grow, to improve, to be great. The fear of failure should not limit our aspirations for greatness.
Indeed it shouldn’t!
It can be devastating, heartbreaking. It can turn extremely sociable people into recluses. But when you learn something from the experience, it can be AMAZING and a springboard to other greater things too.
I don’t think there’s anything that can affect the human spirit like failure, it can destroy and it can propel depending on the person. Learning from failure is very fundamental to living a fulfilled life
While growing up, I read so much motivational books that I didn’t believe i could fail. Failure was not even an option until ……… I failed the first year of senior class. It was as if the world just paused, all eyezzx on me.
Couldn’t eat for your straight day (before now, I can’t fast for one day, hehehe). A neighbour actually got around to give me a prep talk and some words of encouragement.
I heard someone sometimes ago who mention the facts that so many books are being written on the success of people but if you could look closely, there ought to be a book on failure. Success is failure turned inside-out.