Failure is the Best Motivation.

May 3, 2019 By 0 Comments

When I was a little girl, I remember being taken start school at a prominent girl’s school in my hometown. I can’t recall being in nursery or P1, I remember being taken to P2 directly. I was 7, therefore it was only normal for a 7 year old to be in P2 at the time. I recall not being able to pick up academically at the same level with the rest of the kids. They were ahead of me, they knew things better than I did. At the end of the term, the headmistress would read the top 5 pupils from the class and they would then go and shake her hand, the top 2 would receive gifts (a pencil, pen or a book). She’d then read the last pupils who would instead stay sited and sometimes cover their faces. All I remember was my name being read, so I got up and went to shake the headmistress’s hand. I didn’t know I had been read among the last 5, the entire school laughed at me. But one thing I remember for sure is what the headmistress said; while signaling them to keep quiet; she asked them not to laugh at me. She said “Don’t laugh at this mall girl, academic performances can be surprising, this term she might be among the last, but next term she can be among the first.

That holiday my dad (RIP) request a family friend who was a teacher at my school to coach me. I spent the entire holiday learning. The next time they read my name at the end of the term, I was among the top 5 pupils in my class, and I maintained my status among the top 5 until P7, which is the last class in primary.

I have come to learn that failure, losing and stagnation don’t determine the person’s future. If used as a platform to improve on what is lacking, we can emerge winners too. Repeating a class, losing a competition only makes you want to perform better by practicing and therefor improving on your abilities. There’s an invisible power in failing, if used well, you can become a winner for life.

Stay encouraged.