Let's make a mistake, let's fail

-
When we look at our bygone years, we often say, 'Well, I am wiser now, I will not be repeating those mistakes'. But, do we ever say, 'Good that I made that mistake, I am wiser now because of it'. 

As clichéd as the saying might be, it is also true - We learn from our mistakes. Yes, we all do, however, how many of us are really ready to make a mistake? How many of us could say, 'Let's do it, let's take the risk, I might be making a huge mistake, I may fail, but who cares, I would not know if it would be a mistake if I don't do it at the first place!' 

We live our lives conditioned around so many factors - our family, peers, friends, society et al. There aren't any scope for mistakes, for failures, we want to blend in and not stand out. So, everyone is taught how to run the race and try and stay ahead of everyone else. Fun part is, this race never ends, we just keep running. And, then we stumble, just like everyone else. That's when we realise we have made a mistake, which could cost us the race.

Something else also hits us hard at that moment. No one had taught us to fail, everyone had only asked us to succeed. There wasn't a manual that told us that failure is also a part of life, that we do make mistakes and yes, it is 'ok' to make them as well. 

This flaw in the system did not help me either.

When I faced my first failure, I was dazed. I sat bruised and tired on that racing track watching everyone zipping past me without even giving me a glance. And, that’s when I did something I never thought I would do. I tightened my laces, got up, brushed the dust away, took a deep breath and started running again. But, this time, towards the opposite end. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Apology is just saying ‘I am sorry!’

-
Image
Apologizing is not an art. And, come to think of it, it is not even a science. It is just an expression of admitting to that stupidly dumb thing you had done, which could have been otherwise avoided. Then, why is it so hard to apologize? There could be multiple reasons, but the prime one is you know you have screwed up, you don’t want to face the ramifications, there could be explosives at the other end, and you don’t want to basically face the music. But that’s the escapist route. I think the best way to apologize is to apologize the moment you know you have done something wrong. Don’t linger it. Because not only you are prolonging someone’s pain, but you are also pushing your luck too far! Next comes the question, how? That’s simple too. Just tell the person that you are sorry. There isn’t any need for prolonged explanations, bouquets of flowers, boxes of chocolates or expensive gifts. A simple and sincere ‘I am sorry’ is enough to let the other person know that you had...
Read more

Badrinath Ki Dulhania…A great movie on clichés

-
Image
Brides in India are supposed to bring loads and loads and loads of dowry. That’s the truth of the entire country – be it the hinterland Bharat or the upwardly mobile India. A girl is still a liability, and boy an asset. And yes, we don’t believe in family planning, unless we are lucky enough to have sons during the first few attempts. To hell with Beti Bachao Beti Padhao! We are here to raise a generation of girls who are taught to remain in their ‘ maryada ’ and boys trained to become MCPs. Now imagine such a heavy dosage theme turned into an entertaining movie. Did I hear impossible? With Badrinath Ki Dulhania, that’s exactly what newbie director Shashank Khaitan made possible. In its outer packaging, this rom-com looks fun and entertaining, but the deeper themes of dowry, gender inequality, women emancipation, sexism, interweaved in the movie portray the condition of the society we still live in. It is in this very ‘progressive’ India the protagonist Vaidehi (another ...
Read more

Will I ever become a published author?

-
Image
I am a writer, editor and strategist. I have been writing since I was 10 years old. I have written numerous poems, short stories, articles, blogs, white papers, research papers etc. etc. etc. However, in one aspect, I have been failing myself constantly, that is, being a published author . I dream to hold a book with my name printed on it as the author, and despite having varied ideas, somehow, I fail to execute them. I constantly keep pushing this one major bucketlist item to the bottom of the list. I keep questioning myself, why do I do it? I don't have dearth of ideas. I have been writing for years, I certainly know how to write and edit. Then, why do I just do not start writing and finish a book? The answer could be in the following questions: 1. Am I afraid of being judged by what I will write? 2. Am I scared that I will fail miserably as an author? 3. Am I focused on other priorities in my life / career that I cannot give sufficient time to write a book? 4. Am ...
Read more