I find myself wondering what would happen if I failed. Failure is something most people run away from. Here is the thing though, you cannot run away from it. It is part of life. Successful people did not get where they are today without first failing-as cliché as it might sound-. So, today I have decided to stop being afraid and just put myself out there. What is the worst that could happen? It’s either people read my article or not. If people get to read it, I get a win. If not, it’s still an experience I might never have had. It’s also an opportunity to sharpen my writing skills. Either way, I get to win!
I have been afraid of failing for most of my life. I would constantly find excuses for not trying anything because I was afraid to fail. Excuses like Not applying for jobs because I felt I wasn’t qualified enough to deliver. Or, Writing lots of stories and keeping them to myself because I was afraid no one would like them. Guess where all this fear led me to? Well, it caused me to fail anyway. So, the question remains, why is failing such a big deal?
This topic takes me back to when I was nineteen. My oldest brother had requested a volunteer opportunity for me in a well-known NGO. Since I did not know Nairobi well at that time, I chickened out. I let a possible career-breaking opportunity go to waste because I was afraid, I would get lost. I was afraid that I would make a fool out of myself because most, if not all people in that organization were exceptional-or so I thought-.
Had I decided to go, what is the worst that could have happened? It’s either I would have gotten lost-in which case I would ask for directions-, or go work with the said exceptional people, feel inadequate but learn from them. I would have had experience as a young adult having volunteered with the NGO. It would have been easier for me to state down my experience in my CV for possible jobs in the future. But that did not happen. Why? Because I was afraid to fail. Do you see where I am getting with this? I mean I ended up failing anyway. Crazy, isn’t it?
I am tired of feeling afraid of failing. Aren’t you? My mind is now made up. I am going to chase all the failure I can get. I will apply for thousands of jobs, start other online ventures, start writing my novel, post my stories and see what happens. Being afraid has gotten me nowhere. So now, I am choosing to follow a different path. I am going to chase failure. (You can read the book Chasing Failure by Ryan Leak for more insight).
I know that it can be hard when one gets hit by failure after failure. I will encourage you to view it from a point of- ‘what can I learn from this?’- if you do, failure will not be a big deal. It will be a life lesson. Feeling sorry for yourself will not get you where you want to go. It is okay to cry or feel sad for a moment after failing. But then after that, pick yourself up. You got more failing to do before you eventually get it right. Because trust me, you will eventually get it right. Failure is an experience along the way. Look at it as a companion. When it leaves you, you get another companion, a better companion, success. So, be happy in failure. Your success will be defined by those same failures.
I will encourage you today to go for that dream you gave up on because you were afraid of failing. It is never too late to start anything. As long as you are breathing, you can start as many times as you want. Share your experiences or testimonies with others. You can leave a comment below. Encourage someone today. You might be thinking that your failures are bigger than those of others. You might be thinking you are the only one who has given up on your dream. I am here to tell you that you aren’t alone. There are people with bigger failures than you out there. They are not giving up. Don’t give up either. Not for anyone, but for yourself. You are so much more than you think. You are not a quitter. Like me, chose to chase failure today and see where that gets us.
If you have read this far, thank you. Share my post-it could be something someone out there has been waiting to hear. Until next time. 😊