Reflections on the Fullness of Life
FAILURE Failure is not the lack of success but rather the lack of effort.
For my mathematics major I enrolled in a course on abstract algebra. What is abstract algebra? I do not know. It was apparently too abstract for me. I never understood the class lectures. The professor was the author of the text, and his explanations found in the unpublished manuscript were as clear as those presented in class. I sought assistance from Sue, who volunteered to record the text for me, but she too was unable to understand the subject. Neither of us received a passing grade. Nevertheless, I have a degree in mathematics.
Upon reflection:
I am not a failure. There have been times when I fell short of my goal, but those incidents do not make me a failure. From my experiences I gained knowledge and I moved closer to my objectives. Hence, I have achieved something. I am not a failure. In the judgment of another I may not have made the mark, but what someone else thinks of me does not make me a failure. I will never measure my success by standards set by someone else. The concept of failing was first implanted in my mind when I was in school. To successfully mold me into conformity, it was necessary for the educational institution to set up a mechanism to keep me in check. The fear of getting an "F" was that mechanism. Since society continues to grade my performance, I sometimes am faced with the fear of failing. Though I am not a failure, I set myself up to fail by living to please someone else instead of pursuing the desires of my heart. I set myself up to fail if I permit fear to stop me from taking the action that leads to what I want. I set myself up to fail when I disbelieve my ability to succeed. Whenever I begin an endeavor, there is the chance that I will fall short of the desired mark. I must be willing to take that chance and make an attempt. Whatever I gain through my efforts is success. If I fall short of the goal, I can reset the mark, revise my approach, and try again. I have failed only when I refuse to try. By this restrictive definition of failure, I increase the probability of my success. ********** Reflect also on: ACHIEVEMENTS, CONFORMITY, FEAR, SUCCEED, SUCCESS.