Failure is one of those words a lot of people do not want to hear because of the negative weight it carries in our heads. We believe it's something terrible and don't want to associate with it, but as time passed, many of us started seeing the true nature of it. I used to be one of those who thinks failing is one of the most embarrassing things that can happen to any human, but I was wrong because the real embarrassing things is when you haven't tried at all.
Failure is proof of trying; it means you have invested something, whether time, energy, or money, but it just didn't work out, which is very much better than not trying at all. Honestly, it baffles me why there isn't a name to qualify not trying at all when failure is the word we use to qualify those who have given their dream or passion a shot.
Complexity Of Failure.
Life can be really funny, and there are so many incomprehensible factors that determine so many things in the world we live in today. What someone else succeeded with, despite having less passion for, is the same thing someone with big passion and dream didn't succeed with, so the term failure is a deep one if we start digging into it.
Sometimes, when I was struggling to get a job years back, I turned to my catering skills for survival. This was something I learned from my mother, and I became passionate about it. I chose making small chops for events, and it was quite challenging for me because getting jobs personally was almost impossible.
Being an introvert who barely attend events, meeting people was a problem. I had to depend on a big caterer who gets jobs and invites me to do them. I did appreciate the help, but the pay wasn't fair, but I didn't have a choice because I didn't get the jobs directly.
The thought of building a brand struck my mind, and I built a small kiosk for chops in the wrong environment. I didn't see it as the wrong place initially, and by the time I did, it was late already. I didn't have the funds to start all over again, and that was the end. I stopped trying to build my food brand and didn't even bother making chops anymore. I got a job with a company and didn't look back again.
I still think about it though but didn't regret stopping when I did. It makes no sense investing in something that wasn't paying as expected. Waiting could have brought changes, but I couldn't; I was young and needed money to do so many things then. Hopefully, I can venture back in the future since the passion never left.
One of the lessons might sound funny, but it's actually the fact that sometimes, quitting is the best of the options we've got. Having a food brand in Nigeria, especially Lagos, doesn't come easy, and it requires heavy funds, which I didn't have back then.
Pushing myself really hard despite not having the necessary resources might just put me in a struggling state up till this very moment. I might be wrong; things might actually take a good turn, but I did what was best for me. I didn't have the resources to keep pushing and had to quit for my mental health's sake.
A time when I stood strong in the presence of failure was when I tried gaining admission into a tertiary institution. The financial support was not there, and I had to go through a lot to make that happen. Combining multiple jobs, working late nights as overtime, which affected my health, but I had to just keep pushing myself.
The struggle was real since I wasn't earning much and still had to play a significant support role in the family. I thought of giving up several times, but there were incidents that didn't make me quit. I knew the importance of getting the degree, and I feel great about not quitting even though I didn't go as far as I wanted.
This experience made me understand that nothing is impossible if we put our heart into it, but when the chase isn't healthy, quitting doesn't make you a failure.
These experiences—both quitting and persevering—have shaped my understanding of failure. It’s not the end but a step, and sometimes, stepping away is as brave as pushing forward.
I believe that as long as there is life, I can always venture back into whatever I wanted, but some things must be done at the right time, just like furthering my education. Quitting is not a sign of weakness and sometimes, it is as better as pushing forward through failure.
All Image Are Mine.