One of the things that would greatly improve our performance in life is an understanding of the fact that failure is never final. Many people never “start something” (previous blog) because of the fear of failure. A few years ago while at the University of Nairobi, I wrote an article in a newsletter that I used to publish for fellow students on campus. The crux of my message was that failure was part of the journey of life. What causes us to quit in the face of failure is our attitude. Your attitude determines your altitude. Failure does not mean that it is over.
While reading through some of my material I came across a poem that I think would be worthwhile to share.
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill.
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar.
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
And that’s worth thinking about.
We need to develop a “no-quitting” attitude. That will be the key to prevailing over the arrows of failure. Failure isn’t final!!
