1 February 2018: Editorial
“Fail early, fail often, fail forward”
I recently saw an Instagram story in which Will Smith proclaimed, “Fail early, fail often, fail forward”. Somehow, this idea connected with me, and I decided to write about it. We must accept that no matter what we do in life, failure is an integral part of living. There will be times when we will succeed and there will be moments when we will face crushing defeat. More often than not, it is failure that we will face in the road to achieving our dreams, goals, and aspirations. We have to embrace disappointments in order to get ahead in life. Failure does not imply that we stop moving forward in life. It is an important part of the growing process. If anything, as students, we have to admit the setbacks that come our way in the course of trying to achieve something meaningful in our own eyes.
My ‘attempt’ at drawing! :D
As we begin this year, let us resolve to celebrate our failures and see them for what they are: invaluable lessons. Failure also informs us about our weaknesses and makes us more attuned to factors that are within or beyond our control. Learning from obstacles and forging ahead is what I consider as success. It is the refusal to continue after experiencing defeat, which is a failure. This is why confronting loses is important because it highlights an important aspect about us as individuals. The willingness to try again, and again, and again, is a critical skill-set in itself! Therefore, we must undertake a new task and learn from the initial hold-ups so that we can promptly imbue our next step with the ‘lesson learnt’. Experimenting with new methods and techniques is a sure recipe for failure, but it also opens up new avenues for progress. Finally, failing in doing something new is not technically a failure. It is a part of the learning curve.
Outside of our studies, every time we try a new diet plan, start a new project or pursue a new hobby, we are failing forward. The bigger the dream, the bigger the chances to undergo total soul-crushing disaster. The attitude ‘to stand up and try again’ is what differentiates the winners from those who linger in their defeat. So, dream the dreams, and follow them without any fears. You will meet failure on the way. Greet it like a teacher, learn from it and carry on. Do not dawdle too long lest you become too overwhelmed by it. To conclude, I wish you glorious success. On this road to triumph, do not forget to stop now and then to reflect on your failures. Because soon you will realize that, you were never really failing!
Ngā manaakitanga
Priyanka Roy, Vice-President, PGSA
