Tell the world how you failed, please?

Somewhere between struggling to find work and fighting stress, I found myself spending a lot of time on the internet. For what seemed like a very, very long time nothing constructive took place.  My life didn’t change, I didn’t find any assignments and I was NOT having fun. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, doing what they always wanted. Everyone but me. Forget getting inspired by their successes, I was almost beginning to get jealous of them! Trying times, you see. However, it wasn’t long before realization dawned upon me.

We live in a virtual world, using Facebook and Google and Twitter as platforms to communicate and to create an impression on others. We wish to look a certain way, be perceived in a certain way. I figured that if we’re all so occupied with appearances, why would we want anyone to know that we’ve failed? It’s always easier to pretend to be busy, to exercise some selective amnesia and remember only the highs and not the lows. Yes, success stories are inspiring and all that, but you can’t be successful without having faced your share of failures, right? Of course, I wasn’t alone in the struggle. People around me just chose to play up their plusses. Always.

But what’s wrong with that you ask? From my personal experience, I can tell you how intimidating it is to know that everyone else went out and became an achiever while you were still hunting for a job. It’s not only a misrepresentation but it also makes you wonder if there’s really something wrong with you. And God forbid you give into that feeling, you can say goodbye to your own little success story. Pretty much.

So, while I’m all for sharing your positive experiences, I’m a bigger fan of making the negative ones public. Nobody’s life is perfect, and it won’t ever be. That’s just not life. Life is all about the ups and downs, the highs and lows…oh you know the drill, don’t you! There really is no scope to pretend then why do it? You embrace your mistakes the same way you’d welcome your success. It’s really that simple a task but it also means that you have the guts to look failure in the eye. When you speak about how you faced rejection or the many times that you f’ed up, I believe that it shows that that you’re not scared to make mistakes. Oh, and believe it or not, it even makes your life sound a lot more interesting!

On a more serious note though, it takes tremendous courage to come out and speak about the mistakes you made and the obstacles you faced. But doing so proves to be incredibly helpful for people like me, who are out looking for some guidance and inspiration. You can’t show anyone the way to succeed but when you tell them how you failed, they at least know they’re on the right path.