Failing is just a part of learning to succeed

Writing a best-seller was not what Jeff Kinney, author of the famous Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, set out to do. For three years, Kinney tried to get his cartoons syndicated with newspapers. When that didn't work, he turned to writing and showed his work to an editor after eight years. The first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book was published in 2007; 10 years later, almost every kid has read his books and wants to meet him.

Whether it's ordinary folks or famous celebrities, you'd think there's nothing worse than failing. Well, not necessarily. Here are a few examples that tell you failure isn't all that bad.

Realisation strikes

I failed first in my A levels (equivalent to Class 11 or 12) in England, and then in college. I had Latin, Greek and Ancient History for my A Levels; I started getting saturated with studies and stopped putting in enough effort. After repeating my exams, I managed to get into college, where I took up Archaeology of South East Asia. I started questioning my choice again and attended two or three lectures in a week. After failing in the first year of the degree course, the university authorities told me to find something that would interest me.

With no proper qualification, I couldn't get a good job; I took up two-or three-month job contracts that included sweeping factories. I then realised I couldn't continue with these jobs for the rest of my life. On a holiday to India, an aunt advised me to enrol in college here; I was 23 and it was around three years after I failed college in England. I had do something with my life and plan a career, so I put in more efforts and at the end of the three-year degree, I passed with first class in Ancient Indian Culture (AIC). It wasn't easy getting a job related to my degree, but as I wrote for the college magazine, my cousin suggested advertising. A test with Lintas landed me a trainee copy-writing job and after two years, I moved to smaller agencies. It's been 30 years in advertising since.

It took me much time to realise the effort I needed to put in. Different people have different periods when they realise these things for themselves. Each one will develop this understanding and their abilities in their own time.
—Savio D'Souza, 59, Retired (Former ad agency copywriter)

From Engineering to Arts

While studying Computer Engineering on a scholarship in the United States, I didn't turn in my first algorithm assignment in the second semester of my second year; I also failed the unit test. I knew I would fail overall or do really badly, so I withdrew and took up International Relations and Political Science at the Arts college in the same university. I was one of only two Indians studying Arts, because the other Indian students were studying engineering. After switching majors, I had to take extra classes to finish my degree in four years; it would have taken me longer, because I switched after two years.

At the time, it was considered non-Indian to study anything but engineering in the US. I went with one aim, but quit and did something else. It's a slight setback; maybe if I had studied engineering, I would have been working there. Instead, I returned to India and now work in a field unrelated to what I studied. Today, I see so many people in a similar situation. It shouldn't be seen as a failure just because you couldn't finish your degree; it's important to enjoy what you do and do what you want. Don't get boxed in. Failing an exam could be a wake up call to do something you really like.
—Newton Lewis, 31, Media Operations

Language troubles

From Class 5 to 10, I failed in Hindi and Marathi several times. I find languages difficult to grasp and didn't think I'd have much use for them apart from basic communication. I skipped tuition and played at a friend's building; nobody knew where I was. Many tutors came and went; initially they wanted me to do well, but later they just wanted me to get by with grace marks. Now I'm doing a BEd in special education and, ironically, have to conduct lessons in Hindi and Marathi. My friends talk to me in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati; I still can't write, but I can speak to an extent.

I never cared about failing in subjects, but I was afraid of failing the year and not being with my friends. That was my motivation. Even if you don't like a subject, there will be an end to it and you will get by. Work hard on what you like. If you know you're not good at something, it's okay. There are 100 other things that you may excel at. You just need to pull through till you discover your talent. While failing may seem like a crime when you're young, it's a part of learning and figuring out who you are.
—Sara D'Souza, 23, Student at SNDT