Not enough people talk about the hardships and failures that led them into their current success. There’s this notion that once you fail, there isn’t much life after that. And while that could not be more wrong, many people do believe failure is the complete opposite of success, when it’s really just a stepping stone on your way to it.
Success isn’t linear. Success is subjective; what it means to me or in my industry might be unattainable or mean nothing in yours. This idea of success meaning the same thing for everyone can be very toxic. In today’s “hustle” culture where there’s a constant need to produce, to add to one’s purpose and flaunt it on social media, it can feel that no matter what we do we’re already at a loss. In the midst of and trying to live up to these unattainable expectations, I have found myself at two ends of the spectrum. On one end, there was this long period of time where I felt so angry at everything and everyone because I felt like I worked hard enough to deserve a chance and that people who hadn’t worked nearly as hard as I did got better opportunities just because they knew a few powerful people. On the other end, I spent just as much time feeling frustrated and devastated because I thought I just had to accept that my life was going nowhere, that I was unworthy of any success and had nothing to look forward to. As dramatic as that sounds that is how I felt for a long time and neither of these was a fun train to ride; however, at the end of the day, I was wrong in both scenarios.
Failure is definitely not the end of a career; in my case, it is only the beginning. Most of the time something good follows what we believe to be the “failures” of our lives and they ALWAYS turn out to be blessings in disguise. While you may fail professionally or in your personal life, the important thing is to prevail. Be kinder to yourself and know when to take it easy, quantity does not equal quality. Sometimes it is just about being at the right place at the right time. However, if there’s something I have learned in the last few years is that it’s not about being good enough, it’s about working hard. At the end of the day, we all have different journeys and lessons to learn, so look only to yourself to yourself when seeking success and don’t compare your journey to what others are doing. We never know where we will end up; however, rejection will never hurt as much as regret, and working for your success and your happiness is definitely a risk worth taking. Don’t give up!