Failure's Worth

As I was looming around mentally in search of a new topic for the post, I ran into quite a bit of pandemonium. I was almost failing to come up with a comprehensive topic. That’s when it struck me, Failure. The most prevalent conundrum that’s always imminent in every individual’s expedition towards success. An everlastingly dreaded phenomenon, Failure somehow intrigues me in a lot of ways. But before I brandish those candid notions, I would first like to narrate this extremely enlivening true story which is also a major motion picture today.

Back in the day when cars were much more primitive and pristine as compared to the modern day, the most prodigious and proficient car manufacturing company resided in the achingly alluring lands of Italy. Their name was well renowned all across the world and the cars produced by them were truly magnificent beasts. The company was none other than Ferrari. The founder, Enzo Ferrari had pretty much all the feathers in his cap when it came to motor racing. The sheer horsepower that the cars unleashed on the racetrack was almost unbeatable and Ferrari had transcended to be the pre-eminent car brand in racing history. Far away in the United States, another large-scale car manufacturer was trying to make ends meet with the few sale resources he could salvage. It was Ford. Its founder had soon managed to meet a brainwave. It was truly motor racing that could graciously reconvene the value of the car brand and would also prevent the company from renouncing its finance. They approached Ferrari to strike a deal for gaining support and offered to levy the debts which were hanging on Ferrari. But Ferrari disavowed the idea of a car brand with limiting racing prowess to associatively control their racing profits. In the most disdainful and petulant fashion, they called off the deal.

This seemed to have enraged the belligerent officials at Ford who then set off on their most ambitious peregrination ever. To downthrow Ferrari at what they do best, racing. They convinced Carol Shelby, a proficient car developer of the time to forge the most groundbreaking and paramount car of the era, the Ford GT40. They tried to compete at the Le Mans race which is a gruelling 24hr long race that demands the competence of both, the car and the driver. Ken Miles, a British racing champion was roped in to stay behind the wheel of this exhilarating vehicle. When the first race took place, the gt40 suffered a major hindrance because its brake discs were flimsy and would overheat quite easily which would have a cataclysmic impact on the performance of the car especially in tight bends. The result was a failure. But Ford along with Shelby and Miles did not succumb into it and with immense determination, worked on the car tirelessly to make it as docile and efficient as possible. Soon the GT40 attained its triumph and managed to bag its first victory with flying colours in the Le Mans. It truly became one of the most celebrated legends of the motoring industry.

This story captivates me not only because of the success Ford achieved but also because of its inspiring journey on the path riddled with potholes of failure. Failure was intricately quite responsible for the arousal of its determination and got rid of the ostentatious gloom which most people are driven towards. Pondering about this, most startling discoveries and innovations have reached their place due to a certain failure that occurred while they were being. Our world would have plummeted into darkness if Thomas Edison would not have soldiered on failing countlessly while crafting the light bulb. Our elements in the periodic table would have been in a catastrophic disarray if Mendeleev hadn’t been up for nights together failing continuously and working towards it. The list is limitless. Failure formulates the driving force for ambitious individuals to prolong their limits so that they burn the midnight oil in order to knock the doors of success.

But there’s a subtle catch to this. If we observe meticulously, failure has the word ‘lure’ embedded in it. And there is a meaning to this. Failure usually has the tendency of luring individuals towards agony and dismay. The popular reaction to failure is usually depression, anger, and sorrow. So, the true worth of failure is recognized when there is an appropriate mental approach to it. And frankly, there isn’t an absolute definition for failure. It’s a purely relative syllable. A massive failure for one, might just be a minor inaccuracy for another. So, it all comes down to the proficiency of an individual in the prospect of mentally dealing with failure. And nature is truly an admirable teacher in this aspect. If a lion fails to apprehend its prey in a meadow, it doesn’t head home with a dejected face and a dismal attitude. Instead, it searches for another meadow to have another shot at its hunt. This intertwined ignorance towards the fear of the consequences of failure is what we must imbibe.

The concept of failure is the most daunting when it comes to exams. In most cases, the horrendous reality is that weak-minded students tend to slack towards homicidal tendencies or extreme depression that results in commensurate hazard for them both mentally and physically. Students cannot reconcile the fact that Failure met them. But the reality is that failure is ostensibly the best teacher one can bargain for. It is extremely blunt and crystal clear with an individual. It manifests and reveals the mistakes which a person makes and that ensures the fact that the person does not repeat it in the near future. The person who never sees failure will never respect success and will always expedite his arrogance and egoistic attitude. But the person who deals with failure recognizes the true worth of success and savours it for life. He or she is always compelled to stay grounded and humble.

The individuals who turn the 'what?' into the 'so what?' are the ones who emerge victorious whilst dealing with failure. The sheer negligence of any negative emotions is what truly keeps the gates of ones mind open for determination and courage to flow through. A failure is only devastating in the eyes and mind of the beholder. It purely depends on how the person perceives the failure that determines its intensity. A person who's alive has a heart beat pattern which oscillates up and down. Likewise in life, if there are no downs, the life is simply not an enlightening one and it does not emanate a lively vibe. Which is why for an enhanced sense of living, it is imperative to experience failure.

As a closure, I would say that the slurpy lemonade which a strong-minded individual brews with the lemon’s life throws at him, is truly enriching. The goal shouldn’t always be towards success but rather, one must empower one’s mind to be robust and pragmatic to be able to deal with all forms of failure. Going at war with a stronger shield is much more formidable as compared to using a sharper sword. There’s truly no bigger success as compared to learning from failure and remodelling the mistakes made.

So, the next time you receive a greeting from failure, remind yourself that you have already been endowed with the biggest array of gifts best of all, life itself! The failure facing you is merely a stepping stone that will bestow an important skill of life in you and make you even more stupendous in the long run.

That’s all for this one. Do provide feedback in the comments. Will be back soon.

Signing off!