“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm,” Winston Churchill.

The Mantra about failing many times before eventually attaining success is a real fact. Quite a lot of us have witnessed success stories that started from nothing. However, in recent times, Mantra has been debunked and proved irrelevant in this part of the world.

Many dreams have been shattered with ‘what ifs?’ – The fear of the unknown. The fear of not having the stability and emotional strength to handle failure. But who would blame anyone? I couldn’t, and I can’t because we’re all part of the masses who are afraid of failure. We’ve read so many success stories, but so have we read so many failure stories. But would we instead remain stagnant than fail?

Let’s look at these scenarios: 

I have a dream worth a million dollars, but the plan is just sitting at a corner in my heart with cobwebs at its side.  Why don’t I execute this million-dollar dream and be ridiculously rich? ‘fear.’

 We all have a fear of failure running through our veins. The fear isn’t just limited to our thinking; it extends to thinking about those we care about; it extends to thinking about those we can’t afford to let down. That’s why so many people will stick to their #20,000 naira monthly salary rather than take a bold step in starting something more rewarding and financially fulfilling.

The part of the world we live in doesn’t create a cushioned space when we fall. That’s why many entrepreneurs aren’t bringing something new to the market; that’s why we are so comfortable living below standards.

Why? Are people tired of hearing things that don’t work in this country? But what works in a country that has provided minimal comfort for the development of her people? Maybe success. But isn’t success pushing it too far? For some, it isn’t. Can we accept that we are programmed differently, and so are our stories and life.

I think there are more than enough reasons I could go on proving why failure sucks in this part of our world. So, I’d instead stop there and focus on the bright side of life.

The bright side

” My last two business ventures have failed. Three years and probably $50,000 later, I am left with nothing but more excitement, experience, and clarity than ever before.” Kevin Swan.

That piece of the quote is probably what we need to scrap out of our weird thoughts of not wanting to fail. The quote’s author doesn’t say anything about winning a lottery in the end, but he tells us how excited he is about the future. And would you care to know that this man is disabled? He is disabled, as in paralyzed; he couldn’t move any part of his body but his eyes and toes. Not even his mouth; he can’t feed. Yet, he’s hopeful. It’s not easy, but where’s our hope?

If this happens in Nigeria, I bet the person will be crumbled to nothing feeling like a complete failure. But the point is, would it solve the issue? Or would remaining stagnant lead to success?

I guess it’s about time we changed the orientation if we genuinely want to progress. 

The other side: We can’t rule out failure in the bid to succeed. However, we can succeed if we strive hard enough.

Three tips to avoid failure breakdown

Start small

Many of us don’t have the wholesome capital to start a huge business. My advice? Start small. Don’t borrow to avoid a heart attack. You can’t build an empire in a day, not even a year, go slow and be consistent. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

It is often advisable to start a very sure business – more preferably, a hand skill you’re confident about. Don’t follow a trend.

Have other side hustles.

The way we should be programmed in this country is to have other side hustles. I have a friend who has up to 4 legit side hustles, and he doesn’t get tired. I have another one who quit his job to focus on his startup business.

Both ideas aren’t bad, but the country’s situation will make a man who depends on one means of income regretful.

The situation of the country warrants having other things we can fall back on when one fails.

Change your orientation.

I’ve heard quite a lot of ‘That’s why I don’t listen to Motivational speakers.’ You don’t have to listen to Motivational speakers’, but what exactly keeps you motivated to be better? Do you know that your wife advising you to try your hands at other businesses is encouraging you? Wouldn’t she be called a motivational speaker in broad terms?

Here’s another dimension to changing your orientation – accept that failure is part of your progress story. While we may not wish to encounter failure, we should channel our thinking towards life and its ups and downs. Once we accept that things will not always go the way we want them, we’ll begin to see opportunities where we ordinarily wouldn’t have thought.

Final thoughts

The thoughts of failure plague so many minds, hitherto hindering their success. While we cannot afford to fail, we shouldn’t be comfortable at being stagnant – we should probably fall to raise another day.

Some youths say ‘the motivational speaker forgot to add “fail early.” Let’s redefine failure – You fail to succeed another day. Fail early so that you can do what your future self will be proud of.’

NB: not everyone will fail. Some are lucky enough to succeed at the first trial. Be bold to take a step!