Failure is the best gift ever? You must be kidding!

Gift is usually a reward for something you have done well. Have you ever thought that ‘failure’ is also a gift? Most people will imply failure as something dreadful and should be avoided. To me, failure is the best gift I ever received in my life. Let me tell you why.

I was a good student and never failed to achieve good grades in all exams I sat for. My academic accomplishment secured me a place in an overseas university, far from home. In the excitement to pursue my studies abroad, my medical examination failed due to some health problem. I had to undergo a heart surgery and later on withdrawal of my scholarship followed suit. I felt like being slapped in the face three times. It took me a lot of courage to accept the failure and turn the failure into the most rewarding gift of my life.

Failure taught me to see the reality of life. Life is just like a wheel, one day it is up and another day it is down. I learnt how to see things on the positive side even if the event has a negative impact.

Failure showed me the power of courage and determination in one’s life. Without them, life is meaningless. I had to be very courageous to undergo a heart surgery which determines life and death. It was even more challenging to pursue my studies and at the same time making sure I was in the best of health after the surgery.

Failure enhances the quality of life. I learnt to appreciate myself and people around me better. I become more tolerant with others; accepts their strengths and weaknesses as I begin to understand nobody is perfect.

I accepted failure as an opportunity to do things differently and satisfactorily. As Ralph Waldo Emerson quoted – For everything you have missed, you gained something else.

Through failure, I become the person I am today with accomplishments that are more rewarding and meaningful. Indeed, failure was the best gift I ever received as it is remembered and appreciated a life time.