Michael R.
Photography by Alex Gogo
If you’re reading this, you are not a failure.
Well, here we are. You may be wondering if failure is a negative thing. It sure is! However, it does not mean you are less of a person than before. Unlike succession, failure brings out a negative and a positive. Now, you just need clarification on why a positive. Being truthful to yourself and others is the best teacher in life, and experience is the best.
I have failed at a lot of things, academically, with my classes. I was always the dumb kid; The one who looks smart but cannot do anything for himself, the boy who fails his class only to get ridiculed by his friends. Physically, with my body, I was not working on my health. Socially, I made it hard to make friends with others. Ever since I was a kid, I would mess up constantly and compare myself to my friends who did succeed, bringing my self-esteem down over time. However, this taught me something. It made me realize that even though you fail, you gain something that either you can resolve or keep with you. You can either fix your failure with your knowledge or take it and make something out of it. The most important thing is to not give up on yourself and others.
I failed to keep my mental and physical health in check.
I failed to save my friends from violence.
I failed to keep my relatives away from drugs.
I failed to stop my close friends from being part of the wrong crowd
I failed to make relationships that faded away.
I failed to keep my loved ones close as they drifted to heaven.
These past regrets are the failures I have endured and kept. These chained me from my true potential to do good in the world. I wanted to take all my failures out on myself, but that just did not seem right. I didn't choose for these things to happen, but I felt part of that. When you regret something from your failure, you take it as only a negative thing that diminishes you slowly. It eats away the joy and creativity you have for yourself and others. But it does not have to be that way. You can take that failure and turn it into something better. I used it as a coping mechanism to improve myself at sports or writing, which got me out of that mindset of doubting myself. I made myself better at doing things I have never done before because of failure.
Failure is nothing to be ashamed of, but the response to that failure will determine your character. You make a mistake, so what? Every human that has ever existed makes mistakes. We make more mistakes than we succeed, but our reaction to that mistake will define who we are, not only for ourselves but also for the eyes of others. Failure is a gift we must consider the next time we mess up because it offers us invaluable lessons and the resilience to approach more significant challenges with wisdom, honesty, and determination. Even if someone else fails, you can be there for them to guide them through and make them more excellent. I am saying these things because many people take it to the extreme when they mess up in life, such as financially, emotionally, in relationship-wise academics, or even their own internal self-worth could be diminished.
However, as I have been told by wise individuals, we have to be a beacon of hope when dealing with the fact that failing is a mindset. If you have a dream, never give up on it. I became better with my health.
Some of my friends are now with me and away from violence
I stand before my relatives to help them through tough times
I built and mended relationships
I became closer to the people I love
If you made it here, you are not a failure. If you are not afraid to fail, you will approach challenges and problems with a more creative or innovative mindset and ultimately achieve a goal by taking a risk. Failure is a gift; remember that.
Michael R., New York University
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