Nobody wants to fail. Many still do in one thing or another. It seems not to acknowledge wishes or have respect for what people desire. What does it mean for someone or something to fail? It is interesting to know that it means different things to different people at various times.
Let us consider a computer programme that can copy files from a chosen source to a specified destination. If you input and execute a command to copy a file from one location to another, it begins to process the information as requested. You probably were hoping for a message stating that the task completed as it usually should do. On this occasion, you get a different message. It reads: ‘Fail; cannot copy the file as there is insufficient space in the destination folder. Please delete some files and try again.’ Does this sound familiar? The task could not complete—it failed. Furthermore, it was kind enough to provide the reasons and solutions that could help achieve success.
In life, you may not be lucky enough to get the solution or reason for your failed attempt—like the example in the computer programme, but the truth is that you failed while others succeeded because something was not quite right. If you could find out why, make amends, and attempt it again, you would also do well. Failure is not an end or a status that should described who you are or a final judgement that should stick to you for life. It is only an attempt to complete a task, but you could not for some reason. The unfortunate part is that many do not seek to find out the reason behind it, while others may refuse to try again.
You did not do well in an examination, or you did not get selected for the scholarship, or you did not get enough marks to qualify for the promotion, or you did not get selected in the interview. You got 10 per cent while others scored 90 per cent or 100 per cent. You have missed something significant that is responsible for your poor scores.
Failure is not necessarily a bad thing or a good thing—it largely depends on what you want to achieve and what you are failing in. An attempt by a robber to kill his victim to steal treasures may fail. If we consider what he wants to achieve, completing such is not good—the goal is evil. A failed attempt on such an ambition will be a welcome development—it also tells so much about values and intentions.
A firefighter may fail in an attempt to rescue people in a burning building because of a lack of equipment. His mission was to help those in danger, but it failed for lack of adequate resources. The latter shows a painful experience to all parties involved, but the former would be bad news for the robber. The failed attempts could mean joy or sadness depending on who you ask—it means different things depending on motives, goals and responsibilities.
Many people score 10 per cent, and they believe they are doing well because no other person has surpassed that record. Anyone that performs well below the known standard would pass as a failure. 1 per cent performance becomes a failure in the world where 10 per cent is the known record. The problem arises when someone realises their ability, ventures into the same field, works hard to achieve more, say 70 per cent, then 10 per cent is no longer seen as a success—it becomes a failure. If you measure yourself by the achievements of others, you may see yourself as a success or otherwise in comparison to them. Conversely, if you assess yourself based on what you should do or are capable of doing, you would have a different evaluation of yourself.
Many years ago, I thought I was very good at using the calculator. I never realised that there could be some level of expertise skills until I visited an accounting firm. I met a man that could operate it at a faster rate without even looking at the keypad. He did it continuously and accurately—it was impressive. It was a plus to his goal that he could do that, but I may not have the same need or aim. I was not as fast as he was, but if I strive to achieve it, I would have done so at the expense of my goal. I would only have gotten a better result which does not necessarily benefit my aim. It is the case of success in what is not crucial while neglecting what is.
You may have failed, but that does not make you a failure. It depends on what you were trying to achieve. Is it in what you should be doing or what you felt like doing? A doctor could fail to win a monopoly game—that is not his goal as a medical practitioner. If he fails in the crucial, it has critical implications that will affect him and others too.
Many things do not go well because something needs attention. You may need to find out the problem and the solution then try again. The attempt that was not successful is not the last—you can always try again when you have made the appropriate adjustments and corrections. You may have found it true that we learn more from failure than we do when things go well. You will discover how things do not work—you will know more about the things to avoid, you will have experiences that add value to you.
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