No one wants to fail. Especially as a job aspirant, when the stakes are so high that a failure would set you back multiple years, you really don’t want to fail. However, failure remains an undisputed reality of life unfortunately and can’t be wished away. It remains an undeniable reality in our professional and educational life. Thus, when failure eventually arrives, what matters is how you get up and position yourself to face the challenges in the future. Great people of all generations stood out not because they never failed in their lives, but because they got up after facing failure in a better way than others. There is hardly a better example to learn this than that of Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company.
Ford’s company had to overcome a lot of struggles and pass through several stages and changes in its history. Ford left home at an early age and worked as an apprentice in some automotive companies until he decided to have one of his own. In 1899, he founded the Detroit Automobile Company and renamed it as the Henry Ford Company in 1901. After facing several financial difficulties, he had to leave the company. While leaving the company, Ford once said, “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” Thus, he tried again and founded what we now know as the Ford Motor Company. He also introduced the then unheard of ‘assembly line’ for his car manufacturing company and changed the game for the car industry by making cars available and affordable for the common man. Before his ‘assembly line’, each automobile needed roughly 12 hours to complete which was costing the company labour and time. Ford reduced it down to 2 hours and 30 minutes and decreased the costs. Their most popular car, Model T, had its price reduced from $850 to $290. Ford Motor’s sales skyrocketed until they were supplying 50% of all cars sold in the US.
Henry Ford’s life has a significant parallel with that of aspirants working hard to get through their dream jobs or institutes. While lakhs of aspirants work tirelessly to clear the exam of their choice, only a handful actually get the success they are aiming for. For the rest, the circle of preparation starts again. However, this is where the aspirants need to understand that you never restart from the beginning. Success in exams is all about incremental preparation rather than starting from the scratch every time you begin. When you are starting again after your initial failure, you are not starting from point zero. All your knowledge gained over the past few months would ensure that you are in a much stronger position than earlier to attain success. You are, thus, in a much better position as compared to lakhs of others who are now starting to prepare for the exam.
Rome was not built in a day. Great achievements take time to become reality. Sachin Tendulkar took five years after his debut to hit his first ODI century. The failures he faced made him the cricketer that the entire world admires. What kept him going in the midst of all the failures was the final aim—an aim that required immense hard work. Whenever you feel like giving up, as you will at times, just imagine the aim you have in your life, the aim that pushed you to work so hard when you could have taken things easy. This aim would keep you going and won’t allow you to give up when the going gets tough. Even the happiest or the most successful person that you see around might have faced several failures in life. Everybody’s life is full of challenges and difficulties and running away from them is never a long lasting solution. Thus, rather than cribbing about the problems, learn to face them bravely and positively, as most successful people do. Rather than looking for excuses, look for solutions and try to move on. Life is about “Survival of the fittest.” Those who adapt to the tough situations, emerge successful, irrespective of their chosen field.
There is always a bright sunshine after the dark night. You need to ensure that you are ready to embrace the bright light when it arrives.