Why I Keep Moving Forward
‘Failure is Part of the Success Equation’
This is one of my favorite quotes. It’s an inspiration for me. Let me tell you a short story.
It’s tough growing up where I grew up. My family is very small and really tight. Just being around the neighborhood, me and my brother were always around. I didn’t want to be in any trouble because I knew my mom or brother would find out. I didn’t want to hurt their feelings. My big brother was the smart one, always a top student, Dean’s Lister, an A+, heck he’s one of the smartest people I’ve known personally. Me? I’m the good-looking son, that muscle person, a handyman. Not much on the intelligent side but I have my own tricks. That’s the pressure I had to face from the very beginning. How can I match my brother's qualifications on being a good son? How can I make my parents proud? Yeah, I didn’t have an answer. I just tried to do everything right. It didn’t go smoothly for me also when I was studying (All my life I studied in a Catholic School). Even though I’m always part of the pilot section where all the bright students are, I had my ups and downs. There were times that I cannot take the exam because we were late in paying the tuition fee and I had to take ‘special exams’ in which the questions are always more difficult than the set of questions on the regular exam. Indeed, it was difficult, but I finished it, I passed all these difficult exams and tough times. I was young, free-spirited and wanted to just have fun, I didn’t think of being a top student nor be one of the brightest students from my class but I just wanted to have fun. I love my family even we had difficult times and I love myself too. I didn’t give up. I can’t. My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into my strength. That’s me.
Now, Here’s what I want you to reflect on and understand:
The hard part that I had to go through in life, period, is living in poverty and not being able to get what I want or need. Since I know what my family’s situation is, I decided to man up. I worked really hard after school. I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.
Some points I encrypted on myself to survive:
This life has its ups and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals and you can’t let yourself be beaten because of the lack of effort.
Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.
Plus, always remember, at any time, anywhere, whatever you’re going through God is always looking over you. Waiting for the right moment to give you what’s best for you. You just have to wait, do the necessary actions, persevere, pray and believe. God will provide. And when you get that blessing, remember to share it with others.
