You May Be Defeated, But You Didn’t Fail – Build Yourself Up From Your Defeats

Back when I was in college, I was convinced that I would rule the world and bring home those premiums, thereby making my mother retire before it was even time to celebrate her 45th birthday.

But instead, after I finished my undergraduate studies in December 2013, I packed two suitcases and said, “bye bye” to America. It was through unfounded reasoning that I moved to Haiti. I failed to realize that I was not fully fit and ready to re-establish myself in my native homeland.

Just when I thought I was on the right course, headed towards the right direction, as I sat down on a bench at my aunt’s house, I understood that I was not ready for this. I felt like a failure. I could not get a decent job opportunity. I was working as a per-diem teacher at a Diplomacy school but was not really on my own two feet. I also came to the conclusion the burden of taking out a chunk of money to go to a private-catholic college was not worth it.

Though my disappointment was short-lived. Many of us can relate to a time when you feel like a failure. Those negative thoughts tend to rule your mind especially during those moments of desperation. We should never allow those thoughts to deviate us from pursuing our goals.

Yes, I might have learned the hard way that a job is not promised after college, or going back to Haiti was not the ideal thing to do at the time, or going to a Catholic school was not going to be written on my forehead when I go to a job interview…but one thing remains true, I have not regretted one bit that I went to college. It’s sad that my degrees cost me so much. But all of my experiences, which have molded me into the person that I am today, were well worth it. So I had NOT failed after all.

Whatever you are doing, or have been doing and feel as if you’re not moving at all, just don’t stop pushing. Don’t feel defeated. Pick yourself up and keep on moving. Trust me, you are not alone in this situation. Be grateful for your defeats. Don’t be ruminating on your shortfalls. Always have a heart of gratitude.

Profound gratitude shows that you are grateful for what you’ve learned, and next time you will apply what you’ve learned and turned your defeats into triumphs. You will certainly find defeats and shortfalls every step of the way in realizing your dreams, but these defeats will certainly help you in discovering better practices. Do learn from your mistakes.

“Some people live and learn, and some only live.” Don’t label yourself. You might have been defeated, but you’re not a failure until you stop trying. We all make mistakes – some we are aware that we’re making them, and others we have no idea about until after the fact. Think of yourself as someone who is still striving to be your best self, and surely things will turn around for the better.

Learn from your defeats and persistently strive to be better, act better, and do better.