Our optimistic readers believe that like success, failure is a part of life and insist that one needs to understand that failure is a blessing in disguise. One needs to take both aspects in their stride and move on towards the goal

There have been times when I failed. After my school when I started proficiency level study, I failed in my first year board finals and became desperate because I was the school topper in SLC. After that failure I analysed and started to become prepared for the next exam and I was successful this time. I didn’t blame anyone for the failure although I haven’t got the time to study properly, because of my family condition as I stay with my relatives in Kathmandu, and at present I am an engineer. So, I think it is better to be well prepared for the next challenge without regretting and blaming others or anything.

— Santosh Mishra, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu

I believe that every person needs to taste failure at least once their life. The success that comes after failure helps us bring about drastic changes making one energised. Only through failure can one know the real meaning of life. Yes, I have failed many times in different aspects of my life. I take this as an opportunity to realise my weakness. If one fails, then he should work on it rather than blaming someone else. It is in our nature to blame others if something goes wrong, and take credit if one succeeds. But we should also consider the factors why we have failed so that we can improve next time. I think we should never stop trying till we reach our destination. If people had stopped trying after failing many times, then we wouldn’t have been able to come this far — we would still be in Stone Age. Failure should be considered as an opportunity to re-build our self as a better person.

— Beena Shrestha, Mahankal, Chabahil

Failure is never the end. It is instead, a necessary part of our journey. Life is not about success only; we have to face failure too. Yes, it’s true that sometimes we work too hard but still fail. Such things happen in life because we are not prepared for what we actually want to do. We think that we put a lot of effort in our work but we actually do not analyse what’s the reason behind our failure. We have so much fear of failure that if we fail once, then our confidence plummets. I had also failed many times and later I realised the reason behind this was my fear, lack of specific plans, and low confidence. Failing several times doesn’t mean we are losers. It is better to have several failures to get success than not try at all. Just don’t give up and have faith in yourself.

— Kabita Poudel, Mid Baneshwor, Kathmandu

' Try to fail but don’t fail to try’ — this proverb has motivated me a lot. Whenever I or anybody starts any kind of work, it is not necessary that s/he will succeed in one attempt. I am an A levels student and I do have many incidents where I have failed despite my several attempts. But, it doesn’t mean that I will lose hope rather I have found ways to deal with failure.

I was asked to give a speech in front of a mass, which I had not done before. For that speech, I had practised a lot, I had learnt everything by heart. But I failed to give a good speech. I was disappointed but one of my teachers told me not to lose hope, better try next week. I followed his instructions and was able to give a better speech this time. So, I think — if we fail many times, why not to try one more time, maybe it can make a difference.

— Ashish Kumar Sah, Kathmandu

“Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently,” said Henry Ford. Failure is not a strange phenomenon for students like me. I encounter failure most of the time. If I had quit when I failed, I would not be in this position I am today. If I will quit in the future due to my failure, I will never reach the position I am destined to reach. We fail not because we are unprepared but because the condition is not conducive then. Sometimes tragedy, frustration, and stress keep us from success. In such times we should not forget that Abraham Lincoln lost election several times before he became the US President.

— Anonymous

I would take failure as a part of life. Failure makes us mature developing different dimensions of our lives. So, everyone has to face difficult moments in his/her life. Unfortunately, many people believe that failure is due to their circumstances and so on. I disagree with this because you are solely responsible for your life and realising this is the only solution to get rid of the problems. When you do this, you will be more responsible.

— Saroj Wagle, New Baneshwor, Kathmandu

If I have to jot down about the failures in my life, they could possibly be written in a couple of volumes. Had I not experienced those multiple failures in my life, I wouldn’t have become what I am today. There are days when we consistently fail despite our best attempt. The reason is when a failure takes place in our life, then sufferings and pangs strike us which lead us to asking questions such as why such things always happen to me? Why do humans suffer? Is there any way out? Therefore, failures keep our five senses on the go. We blame the external environment or bad luck for our failures but the sole factor responsible for the same lies within us. For instance, insufficient knowledge and experience, negligence, immaturity, overconfidence, dilapidated health et cetera. The best way to tackle with failures is to accept them wholeheartedly and learn not to repeat them. Thus, failures are not our foes rather they are our closest friends that teach us various lessons in indirect and subtle ways.

— Sar Kumar Pun, Pokhara

I have experienced failure so many times in many aspects of life from studies to relationship with people... There are times when I worked hard day and night, put in all effort in accomplishing a task but things went completely upside down. In many situations, I could not produce the results desired and I have been scolded for not being able to make things happen as planned. But I neither became disheartened nor did I spend time blaming others. When I fail I rather try to figure out the root cause of my failure. For this, I usually go into flashback, meticulously analyse all the things I did and the matters relevant to the situation. When I find the mistakes that could have possibly pushed me into failure, then I try not to repeat such mistakes. Failure keeps me moving and it helps me learn many things which I could not have learned from success. So, I take failure as a part of our life and great source of motivation.

— Anonymous

We should know our weaknesses and try to transform it into our strength. I never blame anyone for my failure rather I thank the reason for the failure whether it’s situation, time or people because I believe blaming doesn’t help in any way. I believe I failed because of my weaknesses and that’s the turning point where life makes me stronger to prove myself and to know my strength in the true sense.

— Tejaswi Pahari, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur

As life is a learning lesson, failure will follow us. I used to get upset each and every time I failed and would always blame others. I never thought about the reason behind it, rather I would always pray for powers from the Almighty so that I could take care of my failure. Now the story is different — it’s because of repeated attempts, I found my answer that failure leads to success, so I try to stand up each time I fall. Therefore, I’m striving for success by making repeated attempts. My writing certainly is poor, but from now onwards I will continuously pen down my words for every Question of the Week in The Himalayan Times and I’m sure one day my perseverance would certainly drive me towards success.

— Rohan

No one is to be blamed for your failure or success. If you fail, you learn something, so failure is a learning process until you succeed. We should not lose hope when we fail. If you think out of the box, you have a risk of failing, which is the main reason for failure. So, for your success do how much your capacity permits.

— Abhinay Jayaswal, Baneshwor

Failures and success are part of life. Behind every great success there are several failures. But there comes a time when we try our hardest but we still fail. Then we may lose our confidence and motivation to do things. On the bright side, one should take failures as lessons and learn from them. We only improve when we make mistakes, don’t we?

When some people fail, they blame others for their failure, which shows incompetence in one’s character. In a team, the one who takes the responsibility and risks for the failures and doesn’t blame anyone else, is the true leader.

I don’t get demotivated by my failures, I rise and I learn from them. After all there are no failures, only lessons that we learn, or success.

— Anonymous

In my school and college days I was regarded as one of the best students by my teachers and friends. But I found myself unfit for Science stream, so I shifted to Psychology from Science and I topped the list of successful scholars.

Now at the golden age of 75, I analysed my temperament which did not match with the Science so I regarded my failure as a source of inspiration and as a motivator to my future success. I increased my concentration and effort to study diligently. I transformed my past failure into present success with a better attitude. And now I have achieved success in the teaching profession. In this process I regarded my parents, professors and friends as catalyst in my career. I never blamed the situation for my failures. I continued my book writing and researches. I suggest others not to be frustrated or depressed after regression as failure is the key to future success. The person needs self-regulation.

— Prof Dr Murari Prasad Regmi

There were numerous times when I failed even though I tried really hard. I tried numerous times to find the reason but I couldn’t. I had to understand ‘why me’. Later I read a quote by former President of India Abdul Kalam — ‘If you fail, never give up because F A I L means First Attempt is Learning. End is not the end, in fact E N D means Effort never Dies. If you get NO as an answer, remember N O means Next Opportunity’. Then I realised I am not the only one who is suffering from failure. This might not be the right time. My time will come. Just wait. Have patience.

— Er Sandesh Pant, Lokanthali, Bhaktapur

I take failure as a general process. It happens due to lack of hard work but people are used to relating it with fate. We know, failure is the ladder to success. So, we don’t stop trying no matter how many times we fail. We can acknowledge others for our success, but we shouldn’t blame others for our failures because failure is the result of our negligence and not weakness.

— Ram Mani Adhikari, Cheru, Mahottarai

Being a student, failures knock every now and then be it at class when you can’t beat your competitor or at games when you lose to the rival team. I have encountered many such failures. I face them boldly no matter what the aftermath. I have accepted my failures just to realise my mistakes and make improvements for the next time. Failures are lessons for us, which help us recognise our weaknesses. The sole reason for my failure is me, my carelessness, laziness and the lack of will.

— Yugant Khand, Buddhanagar, Kathmandu

Edison, even after failing 9,999 times, tried and succeeded. Success is 99 per cent failure that’s what I’ve learned so far. Failure is a good opportunity to start things right, again. I consider failure as a part of my success. Failure can never overpower when I’m determined to do something. When I can learn something out of failure, that’s a huge success for me. It’s not a good idea to blame someone for a situation, but it is temporary. I consider achieving success is the ability to walk in the path of failure without losing enthusiasm and failure can only be guaranteed when we stop walking.

— Anonymous

Winning and losing is part of our life. The thing we need to cherish first is participation. It is true that sometimes no matter how hard we try, we fail. At the same time everybody cannot be a winner. I was no different. Being a failure was never my choice. But I’d rather choose to gather my strength, to give failure a second chance and to not quit trying, until and unless I succeed. Failing itself is neither a crime nor a mistake. It is okay to be a failure. But the zeal of trying to win should not be overshadowed by fear of failure. People who fail can find a reason behind their failure. They will know what is their real problem and later on they can have the advantage of working on it. My message to all is that praise not just the winners but also all the participants. Let us not make the people who fail feel bad or upset. Rather let us motivate them to keep on trying. And tell them, “Be persistent, failure is not the end, we still can change this.”

— Anonymous

Success and failure are both part of our regular and normal life. There is possibly no individual in this world who has never experienced some form of failure in his or her life. However, we always tend to remember the positive impact of success and tend to forget the negative effects of failure in our lives. But it is important to stress the positive significance of failures too. Failure teaches us valuable lessons of life that help us mature fast, gain valuable experience of not repeating the same mistake and contribute towards developing an insight to understand and identify things and people around us more critically and objectively. Failures increase our mental age and if taken positively, is a blessing in disguise. Like anyone else, I have come across a number of failures in my life too. Many of them were heart breaking at the time when they happened in my life. But now that I look back, I feel those failures have helped me become stronger, and resilient. Last but not the least, the proverb ‘failures are the pillars of success’, is not just a statement but in fact is part of a journey called life.

— Saikat Kumar Basu, Lethbridge, Canada

It is said that success comes with the taste of the failure, and hard work leads you to success. But there are times no matter how hard you try, you fail and blame it to your luck or lack of commitment. Sometimes things do not work out at all. As for me, the main reason has been thinking too hard about that matter and ending up being anxious, which ultimately degrades your works. Blaming has never been helpful because at the end of the day you are the one to be blamed as you will be the one to suffer the failure.

— Smriti Pradhan, Mid Baneshwor

There are times when we desperately try to achieve something, yet we fail. In those low times I often fall prey to loneliness and depression. I do think about the reasons for the failure and pretty much it has to do with me. I often blame myself but overcome it and carry on stronger than before.

I keep a diary of all the pitfalls and resentment. I write about all the things bothering me and write about the steps that I can take to tackle those problems. Failure is a part of life without which we cannot know how strong we are. So, I think our attitude towards failure is the key to success.

— Saayara Sharma, Narayanthan, Kathmandu

The best success comes after disappointments. It   is indeed true. Great personalities such as Stephen Hawking, Florencce Nightingale, Gautam Buddha et cetera are people who inspire us with the motto ‘failure is the key to success’. Success is indeed a result of failure which inspires us to work even harder. Hard work, persistence and determination matter the most. Sometimes no matter how hard we wok we fail, this failure must be taken as a motivation, not as a discouragement. I recall an incident during my school life, on the day of national speech competition. It was the first time I was addressing such a huge mass and I was a nervous wreck. I went on quiet smoothly but all of a sudden I went blank. I felt so embarrassed and so I ended my speech. It was my biggest failure. This failure turned me into a great speaker today. Had I not failed, then I would not have reached where I am today.

— Kajol Shah, Sanepa

Failure for me is the biggest lesson in life. In most of the cases I feel may be I lacked to accomplish the predetermined objectives, but in some cases someone or the circumstance is responsible for the failure. Blaming others becomes good only for a certain time in order to console oneself; after sometime, it becomes an excuse to not try.

— Samikxha Sharma, Hanumanthan

I would like to recall the time when I wasn’t selected for a football team. I was so disappointed. I cursed my height as I am comparatively short for my age. After sometime I began to feel that may be something was lacking in my effort. So, again I began to practice harder than before and finally I was selected. Though I am not associated with that team right now, that incident had a huge impact on me. I learnt to fall and get up again. Life is an art, it’s a mountain of troubles. So, we of course fall. But it depends on us whether we would like to get up and continue or remain lying down. Every failure we face brings us one step closer to our dream. Do not blame fate for your failure. Be active and optimistic, hope for the sky and you will learn to fly. If the will power is strong, anything can be achieved.

— Bhuwan Magar, Sallaghari, Bhaktapur

I have failed many times, either passing a test or board exams, trial for my driving licence, in an interview for a job or after I got the job cracking the deals with my clients, I couldn’t make it in my first, second or even third attempt. It’s really frustrating and depressing when things really don’t work out and you start to doubt your abilities, and your confidence becomes very low. There are times when you feel like giving up but giving up can never be a solution.

When I cannot achieve anything, it stresses me a lot and I start to think of all the possible reasons that I couldn’t make it. It was due to my lack of commitment and dedication towards my goal that I failed and also the approach that I implemented didn’t work. If one way doesn’t work then there are many other ways through which we can make it work. It’s all about learning from your mistakes and not repeating them. You are responsible for your success. Do not forget to treat and make yourself special after you succeed.

— Anonymous

For me, failure is all about opportunity to begin again. I think about my failures and try to find areas to improve and work on it. I wish to god to grant me the sincerity to accept things I can’t change and courage to change things I can and wisdom to know the difference. I believe blame game always pulls you back and hinders your ability for growth.

— Rishav Raj Singh, Nakhipot, Lalitpur

I try, I fail. I find the faults and try to do better than yesterday but I never quit. There is nothing impossible but things get impossible due to the fear of being a failure. Thus, blaming others for our failure is being selfish. We must look within ourselves and it will help us find reasons behind the failure and improvise.

— Chandani Shrestha, Buddhanagar, Kathmandu

I’ve had many failures in my life myself. It’s frustrating but at some point we have to get over it. When I fail I think long and hard about my shortcomings and what I could have done better. I take inspirations from great people like Nelson Mandela and Thomas Edison who ultimately got success after long struggle of failures. Each mistake I committed taught me something new and I learned more. I accept failures, as a part of life but I don’t accept on giving up so easily.

— Aayam Adhikari

Literally failure is a negative word. It implies unsuccessful circumstances. But the same failure might be the step to success if handled positively. For me, failure has become a necessary part. I have started taking it simply. I also believe that there is bright and peaceful morning followed by a dark and haunting night. It all depends on you how you take things. Whenever I fail in my endeavour, I feel that God is trying to give me better than what I lost. I continue with my daily affair as I have learnt that there is no good in surrounding with all those

negative stuffs.

— Bhawana Poudel Bhattarai, Baneshwor

I believe that failure is the key to success, because we can get appropriate lesson or feedbacks from it to achieve our success. The most important thing is; we should never give up our hope no matter how many times we try. Hope is the motivating factor which always encourages us to keep going unless we achieve what we want to. It is well said that ‘if there is will there is a way’.

— Parash Shrestha, Sydney, NSW

I feel failure is another route to success. Any individual who fails in any circumstance is liable to succeed through another attempt with a different approach. I take failure as my crusading zeal and commitment towards my success. When I fail, I first manage to convince myself that I didn’t fail because I could not, I did because I was not well prepared to exhibit myself. Henceforth, I work out in related platform unless I find myself prepared for triumph.

I never blame others for my failure. Probably, in some cases one must have been condemned towards failure due to others to an extent, but not always. We won’t acquire anything unless we put ourself into the game. The ball is always on our court. We are the master of our success and reason of our failure.

— Anonymous