By : MR MIH
I had a very tough childhood. It wasn’t because my parents didn’t take care of me in the best possible way they could.
It was simply because I got hit with failure countless times.
My childhood really was about failure – At least academically.
I’ve been labeled series of unpleasant names by friends, neighbors, teachers and even family members.
As I grew older, I’ve learned to fail forward. Regardless of what’s happening to me, I’ve learned to push the forward button.
I learned at a very young age to confront my own demons.
When I was in primary/secondary school, I remember going home with series of poor grades.
Ranging from assignments to classworks, to test drills, I failed horribly.
This affected my self-esteem badly at the time – Just like it would affect anyone.
I remember that whenever I revealed my grades to my friends, they would laugh at me in a shameful manner.
When they’re done with laughing, the look on my face would force them to show sympathy.
My friends would often beat me at academics, while I do beat them (Always) on the football pitch.
Unfortunately for me, my parents didn’t care about what I did on the football pitch.
They cared about my grades – Cos they paid for school.
What’s the point of that story? Read on.
IMPORTANT LESSON.
I remember that when I failed at school, and I told my friends about my grades, my intention was to get them to show sympathy.
Most times, I got the opposite of what I wanted.
Instead, I got even more hammered with the feeling of defeat AFTER being hammered at home with insults.
I didn’t start winning UNTIL I quit the habit of wanting people to show sympathy to me (Because I failed).
This is what I see in a lot of people today.
When they are winning, nobody knows about it. When they lose or fail, they start to wail.
This isn’t about NOT sharing your challenges with people.
This is about being selective about the people you share your pains or challenges with.
Most importantly, this is about seeking solutions NOT sympathy.
This is about pushing the forward button.
Sympathy won’t erase the problem. Get your thinking right. Take responsibility. Stand up to your challenges.
Sympathy might make you feel good (temporarily) but the challenge won’t go away because of it.
Bottom line – Seek solutions NOT sympathy.
On the flip side of that, feel free to show sympathy to others.
Better than your sympathy would be providing a tangible solution to the struggling individual.
If you’re currently facing one or two challenges, remember that everyone is fighting a different war.
Regardless of what you see on Instagram, everyone is struggling with some sort of challenge.
By the way, not everyone who show you sympathy actually care.
Take the responsibility to stand up to your challenges. Nothing’s funny about failing. No one is coming to save you.
Sympathy from others won’t pick you up. Solutions will. Quit wailing. Start winning.
– Make It Happen.
P.S – Please SHARE this message if you found any form of value in it.
