When I failed to get through my Medical Entrance exams, I cried.
Though I have been taught right from my primary education,
“Failures
are the stepping stones to success”, I could not think of the saying at
that time ! I did not have the courage to accept failure and move ahead
in life. My father encouraged me and said there are other
opportunities. He then left my room to let me decide my next step. My
friends advised me to take the exams next year. After a lot of thinking
I decided to join some other course. I finally finished my graduation
and then my post graduation in a subject that I always enjoyed .I did
not want look back.
Whether it is failing to get a seat in professional education, a
coveted job, or a lost promotion or even a raise in salary we get
disappointed immediately and consider ourselves failures. This attitude
affects our motivation levels and ability to take progressive steps in
life. We must accept it as part of learning process.
There are some pointers which can help you sail past your difficult times :
Opportunity to improve:
When a child learns to walk he trips many times but never stops to
start all over again. This can be viewed as an inevitable part of
learning something new. Similarly setbacks shows the mistakes that we
make and also the areas that need improvement.
Never aim for
perfection:
Aiming for perfection inhibits our ability to take bold decisive
actions. We miss out on experimentation and innovation because we fear
it may not turn out to be perfect. Aiming for perfection at every stage
is
unrealistic.
Fear of failure:
Succumbing to fear of failure is not going to take us anywhere. One
failure is not the end of the world. If you fail in a job interview
doesn’t mean you will never get another job. If the company is not
making profit doesn’t mean your boss will fire you.
Setting unrealistic expectations:
Most of us set unrealistic expectations when we are trying something
new. This can lead to disappointment. Anticipate the problems that you
are going to face and assure yourself that there is a solution to every
problem.
Imagining bad scenarios:
Never let your imagination run wild and think of only bad scenarios.
You need to get back to the present ,access the situation and realize
that things are not that bad after all.
To quote Winston Churchill, ”Success consists of going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm” .