8/14/2019 The Fear of Failure is the Greatest Obstacle on the Road of Success

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The fear of failure is the greatest obstacle on the road of success

You are a FAILURE! You embarrassed me in front of everyone. Youcant imagine what I went through when your teacher showed your report

card! Faizans mother exclaimed at him because the 14-year-old hadfailed in the final examination.His parents, in fact the whole family, were depressed because of Faizans

so-called sin. They, like the society at large, think that failing,

particularly in an examination, is a sin. The reaction of his parents,siblings, teachers and even friends made Faizan confused and

depressed.Looking around us we see many cases where people feel so dejected after failing at something

that they end up taking an extreme and stupid step that they may regret later. But scolding, thrashing andpunishing are not the right ways to treat such a person. A failure should be treated, not in a harsh way,

but in a consoling and tender way. Those who think their entire life is ruined because they failed to do

something properly need proper guidance and support. Having failed once does not mean one will always

fail, or even failing repeatedly at something doesnt not mean that one is not good at anything else. Thefear of failure is the greatest obstacle on the road of success. If you are scared that you will fail at

something, you will end up either not trying at all or putting in a half-hearted attempt. The first thing that

should be kept in mind before attempting anything is that failure isnt a crime. Failure is merely astepping-stone to success. Everyone fails at something or the other, at some point in life. We should not

take failure to heart but learn from our mistakes and try not to repeat them. Treat failures as learning

experiences that should turn you into a better person as you can now identify your mistakes andshortcomings. Once you know why you failed, you should find ways that can make you succeed the next

time. Stay positive and keep trying until you succeed. Remember when a baby takes his first steps, he

falls but he gets up again and keeps trying until success is achieved. We can also learn from the life of

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States who led the nation through its greatest internal

crisis, the American Civil War. After failing as a businessman, he moved on to politics but failed in hisinitial attempt to become a member of the Illinois General Assembly. He then studied law and became a

lawyer. He returned to the political arena and, in 1855, he ran for the Senate but was defeated again. Thenext year Lincoln went after the vice-presidency position but was defeated. This didnt deter him and,

finally in 1960, he became the president. He had a taste of failure initially which made him more

determined to become successful. Many people feel depressed when they fail to achieve something thatis important to them. But failure is a learning tool. Always accept failures positively because they help

you gain confidence. We all know about Thomas Edison, the renowned inventor. Edison also failed

many times before he finally became successful in inventing the light bulb. Did he stop trying? No hedidnt. If Edison had stopped trying, the world would be pretty dark right now. And there is the shinning

example of everyones favorite author J. K. Rowling. About 12 publishers rejected Rowlings first

manuscript of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stones. But today, according to Forbes Magazine, sheis the first billionaire author in the world. Failing 12 times in a row would get anyone down but shedidnt stop and finally got a green signal from Bloomsbury, a small British publishing house in London

for the publication of her first book. And now Rowling is ranked 14th in Telegraphs list for 2008s 100

most powerful people in British culture. Isnt it exciting? If you always cry over the mistakes that youmade, you will never get anywhere in life. So theres no use crying over spilt milk. If you want to live

life to the fullest, your plan of action should be target-oriented. A confident individual always looks

forward and keeps his/her eyes on the target/destination. They consider failures as part of their journeytowards success. And positive thinking is the best way to get out of the gloominess of failure.