The Secret: Fail To Succeed

Clara Brown

"Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great.  Weak men wait for opportunities, strong men make them." Orison Swett Marden.

How often have you heard the saying "Life is what you make it?"

What the hell does it mean? How do you embrace the results whether you are 'making it' or not?

At the risk of being labelled repetitive, I am again about to quote my late mother.  It really is hard for me not to make reference to her utterances as she was the kind of woman who spoke a lot and was rarely proven wrong. Well, that is how it seemed to us her children. Now, as adults we see the wisdom in her words and her vision. She was indeed a simple yet wise and humble soul.

"Life is what you make it," she often said.  "Opportunities are presented to us every day. If you want to be happy, you can and will be happy.  If you want to be sad, you can and will be sad.  If you want to be successful, you have to go out and work for it.  Success will not just fall in you lap."

The "making it" does take work:

• Work to overcome your fears and failings.
• Work to convert the dream into reality. 
• Work to seize opportunities and turn them into the something tangible

All in all, "making it' is WORK!!!

It is an established fact that we will not succeed in every opportunity.  With time and a large enough number of them, we learn that failing is part of life.  Failures are part of the picturesque route to ultimate success.  They are the lessons that fuel our growth.

Image: pfitblog.com

I have had my fair share of failures. "What? You Clara?" Of course I have and they have been a few, including:

1. Failed at examination
2. Failed at having long lasting relationships
3. Failed at investment opportunities
4. Failed at achieving some goals related to my profession.

I could go on. In the final analysis, all of these failings taught me unique lessons as well commonly known lessons.

"A brilliant child," is what many called me. Reading fluently, I am told, at age 3, my tests were always passed with 'flying colors' right up to sixth grade in primary (elementary) school.  It was, therefore, expected by all that I would pass my Common Entrance Exams at the first sitting. The Common Entrance is the test Grade 6 students in Jamaica sat to move on to Secondary Level. This test has since been replaced by the infamous Grade Six Achievement Test (G.S.A.T.)

Then came the shock. I DID NOT PASS.

That was my first experience with the concept of failure.  My teachers were in shock, I was in shock but alas, my mother expressed no such emotion.

Very apprehensive, waiting for an explosion from her, I walked around the house on pins and needles for days. It took that before my mother said anything about my "failure." She must have sensed that depression was lurking in me when one day she finally said, "Pickney, di blow whey nuh bruk yuh back will mek it stronga!" (Translation: Child, the blow that does not break your back will make it stronger.)

Image: 10formation.blogspot.com

In my adult years at a session facilitated by Les Brown, he said something along the same lines and it immediately resonated with me. I have used that phrase many times since to lift myself up from the space tagged with the letters F-A-I-L.  The Common Entrance failure is today quite laughable compared to some of my subsequent ones.

It has been my fortune to be able to see the proverbial glass as half full. Frankly, people who constantly see the dark clouds without any hope for the silver linings are not interesting to me. My patience quota is great for people who need a bit of reminding but absolutely none for persons who are perpetually negative. If there is anything that drains my energy as being in the same space with negative people. Immediately the wilting begins!

Of all the secrets in the world, one of the most view-changing is to be able to transform some failures into successes. Just do not stop!  Keep trying, working and take advantage of opportunity after opportunity. This formula worked for me and continues to work in my life and in my friends' lives - those who have been willing to "Just Do It!" In spite of my failings, I remained thankful - don't raise your eyebrows - that is another secret, gratitude, and I am one grateful Chick.

"Life is too short...Don't ever waste it!Life is sweet......Take time to taste it!Life is a journey.....Find the right path!Life is entertaining.....Don't be afraid to laugh!Life is for good times .....Make them last!Life has its bad times....Put them in your past!Life is chance.....Make sure you take it,But most importantly ..........Life is what you make it!" Anonymous

If you need a little boost, contact us through our Facebook page. You are also invited to share your thoughts here and follow us on Twitter.

Continue to have a great day!

Clara Brown is a member of DOS and a Guest Author of our blog. She is an insurance executive and resides in Kingston, Jamaica.