Learn how to face failure with resilience and optimism. Discover real-life lessons, motivation, and success stories to rebuild your life with confidence
Prannab Pani
Lost your job …failed in exam… loss in business…breakups…loss of loved ones…critical illness…insult & humiliation…?
Hey…hey, take a pause…please answer me…
Are you the first one in this world to have suffered these? Is it the end of the world? Have all those people having been suffered like this, ended their lives? Most of them are happily alive and doing great as well. And the ones, who killed themselves, left more questions than the answers, more sufferings to their near and dear ones. They are weak-hearted escapists. Would you like to be that, or would you like to get up and rewrite life?
Every problem has a solution tucked within it, embedded with it. Introspect and analyse, you will surely get it. And what is impossible? Review the word and write the same differently, you will have a better meaning, a positive one…I M Possible (impossible)…now, what does it say…not possible or possible…? Isn’t it all in our Minds…Perceptions…Thinking…? View your problems differently, it will offer you a better perspective, a possible solution too.
Let us stay focused, determined, cheerful, thinking positive and celebrate Life, in all its hues and seasons.
Challenges are to be faced and not run away from.
To err is human. But if committed knowingly and done repeatedly, you are a chronic at that and this is never accepted. The only way out is course correction. But otherwise, mistakes are common and are often the best teachers. Of course, there are times blunders get too costly. Just watch your back to swim ashore safe.
Failed means you have tried at least, and can try again. It’s wisely said that, “The only thing that separates success from failure is one last attempt.” And harping on resilience, Sir Winston Churchill famously said, “Success is going from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm”. So, continue with your efforts with same enthusiasm and better preparation. To quote SatyaNadela,”It’s more important to heed the lessons of failure than to celebrate success.” Look how all these wise men speak the same, because they too have experienced falling but got up too to be the winner in their next attempt, learning from the failures always.
It is important to maintain mental equilibrium and emotional intelligence.
Stay Positive and face challenges with determination to overcome them. If others could do it, why can’t you? Yes, you too can. And again, don’t forget that you are not the only one going through rough patches in life. Countless others have gone through the same and are still going through today. They are not giving up. Then why should you? Just stay on course and don’t deviate. Reinvent yourself, rework on your ideas and plans, abandon or recreate, as required, when things go repeatedly wrong.
It is OK not to be OK. Get that instilled in your mind and move on with better plan and with smart thinking.
Scoring 90 plus marks or getting A Grade doesn’t assure you of a great career and a bright future. There are several college drop-outs who were driven with passion and determination to make it to the top of their lives. And there are several school and college toppers, languishing as nondescript humans, achieving nothing great, barring some materialistic gains possibly.
Life is a Struggle
Mega Star Amitabh Bachchan reinvented himself when down and almost out in his downward spiralling business and fledgling career. We all know where and what he is even today, persisting with enthusiasm and humility. American entrepreneur Colonel Sanders failed seven times before hitting the bull’s eye through KFC, at the ripe age of 70. The 2025 Women’s World Cup Cricket champion Indian team’s coach AmolMuzumdar could not ever play for India despite scoring heavily in all domestic cricket tournaments. While the world cheered others with lesser records, some getting the national calls in between, Amol walked back from every season not bitter, not broken- just quietly determined. The man, who never wore Indian cap, got his coached girls creating history by winning the World Cup. That is redemption, that is his greatest achievement in the game of Cricket, which he never gave up or turned his back onto, with frustration and bitterness. He stayed with the game and utilised his knowledge for the improvement of India’s women cricketers, when opportunity came his way that not too may considered an aspired job.
Late bloomer, you may call them all. But see their perseverance, persistence and determinati0on to effect a turn-around in their fledgling lives and struggling career, to make them more successful, better than several others of their ilk.
We learn from mistakes, correct ourselves, and look around to get inspired, eking out the alluding success. That is how it should be. Let us remember one truth of life. Life cannot be without struggle. It is wiser to accept this fact early on and follow relevant principles to improve and succeed. If we view and perceive a problem and a struggle as that, we get stuck with negativity and inaction. No one’s life is a complete bed of roses. This journey on this planet is always like a roller-coaster ride, with ups and downs. But, nothing stays long forever. The law of nature is like that. If it goes up, it will come down too, and the cycle continues in the same pattern. Efforts are important, with smart thinking. Hence, never ever give up. You are just one more attempt away from a win.
When one door closes on us, it opens up ten different ones too. We just need to get up to continue our efforts, learning from the mistakes and correcting soon to win it next. Chinese philosopher Confucius said, “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.”
If I Can, You Too Can!
One more lesson: if others could do something, you too can do the same. No one is born intelligent nor does success fall on their laps without making required efforts with persistence. Smart and clear thinking, self-confidence, hard work, regular revision for necessary correction, disciplined life, patience with determination coupled with a positive attitude help in your journey to reach your goals successfully.
Dear Readers, I consider myself as a failed entrepreneur and I say that with my head held high, even in public forums without hesitation or feeling ashamed of. It has been a lesson that I keep sharing with all bright young minds when I visit colleges and universities to address the students and when young start-up entrepreneurs reach out to me for mentoring them professionally. I ensure that they don’t make the mistakes that I did during my course of entrepreneurial journey. Many have benefitted from my insights, succeeding in their business ventures, under my involved guidance. Stories of success don’t teach us how to deal with failures. Failures do.
Similarly, let me also reveal to you that academically, I had been an average student. In spite of being a student of English Literature, I used to fumble in speaking the language fluently. I always used to struggle to communicate with friends in English. Today, I am a respected author and a popular columnist, being appreciated for my writings by several internationally acclaimed authors and speakers as well, including some eminent Englishmen, Americans and Australians. They invite me regularly to write for their popular magazines, international journals and to speak in the premier B-Schools and universities. And how did that happen? I did not sit in a corner crying or blaming my fate, but challenged myself for improvement. Made continuous efforts and reading as much, listening to best speakers and writers, listening daily to BBC news, panel discussions and English plays on Radio, to increase my vocabulary, improve pronunciation and to speak confidently.
One more anecdote I am sharing with you my dear readers, if this too will boost your confidence. All through my career spanning a little over 25 years, I had been heading and led the hard-core technology driven corporates (including Software companies) achieving continuous success, working around the world. But, let me inform you that I am not an Engineer. But that never restricted my growth managing technology for the domestic and international clients. On most occasions, I used to give the techno-commercial presentations to the prospects with conviction, garnering their appreciation as well. But let me confess here that I did struggle initially with the complex technologies, many a times; feeling embarrassed in front of my colleagues, the engineers, inviting snide remarks behind and unflattering murmurs as well. But, I made sincere efforts to learn the same asking questions, reading tech papers and case studies to gain knowledge and confidence subsequently. Today, I speak and write on all kinds of technologies, without being a domain expert. But yes, I am continuing to read and learn as much to gain confidence and to command respect too. I am trying to improve myself each passing day as I always want to be the best in whatever I do, to leave my imprint behind, as I am yet to accomplish anything substantial. Humility aside, I always say that I am an ordinary man with extraordinary thinking. Knowledge is my strength and have an insatiable appetite for learning. Thanks to my perseverance, today I am a much sought after writer, motivator, startup mentor and management speaker, a respected business and branding strategists too. I get invited to top colleges and universities regularly to address their students. Donned the ceremonial gowns in the Graduation Day/Convocation ceremonies as the Chief Guest in couple of reputed colleges as well, though never got to wear that when I was a student. My bestselling book (Road Signs) has found its place of pride in several premier universities’ libraries. Guess, I have managed to carve an identity of my own in this world, without ever compromising on my sacred principles and ethics, neither losing sleep over the losses and failures in between.
Hope, my humble story will help someone loitering hopelessly in the dark, to get up and stride along with confidence and dignity, to stand atop his/her world.
Results happen in your Efforts Zone and not in your Comfort Zone.
Well guys, if I can do this, you too can.
(The author is a Corporate Strategist, Entrepreneur, and Startup Mentor. Views expressed are personal.)
For more articles by the author under the series, please visit:
Relationship
Parenting– The Art and Responsibility of Shaping Lives
Startup Odisha: The Road & the Journey Ahead – A White Paper
