Just thought that this set of
acronyms would provide each one of us the perfect inspiration for the New Year
and hence I have chosen to share the same here. It would be a very person or a
very dumb person who would not accept the fact that he/ she did not face
failure in the past and particularly in the year just gone by. Most times the
failures could be attributed to incompetence, inefficiency, tardiness or carelessness.
However often when we attempt something new we are not successful in the first
attempt and we are dejected. Many times we refrain from attempting something
new purely because we are afraid to fail. Yet when we reflect on all the
progress we have made right from the time we clumsily held a pencil in the hand and attempted to write
the alphabets to the numerous times we feared drowning in the pool while
learning to swim or the numerous bruises that
testified to the difficulty we had in learning to cycle we realize that
failure did not hinder our resolve. This is because to FAIL was just an acronym for First Attempt In Learning. Resolve
to attempt something new each month and master it or make significant progress
in it by the end of the month.
For sure, you would have committed
blunders and felt that it is the end of the road as far as your future was concerned.
Yet, despite the admonishments and embarrassment you faced you still got
another chance to redeem yourself. Perhaps you failed an exam or did not honor
a commitment. Possibly you did not clear a number of job interviews or worse
still never got a call for a job interview despite applying in numerous places.
Some of you may be stuck with a boss who is often critical and unappreciative
of your work and threatens you with dismissal. The fact is that despite these
very daunting circumstances you still live with hope, possibly you have even managed
to be successful in your academics or career and you have expectations to a
even better future. All this, despite you often feeling that it is the end of
your dreams. This clearly demonstrates that the END is merely an acronym that
reminds you the Effort Never
Dies.
One word that hurts us most is the
word No which to put it mildly is a point blank refusal our plea. As children
we may have craved for the best toys and clothes only to be stonewalled with a
firm NO. Maybe as teenager you were forbidden from attending late night parties
or perhaps even encountered the pain of being rejected with a firm no by a
person whom you had a crush on. It is equally possible that as a professional
your subtle and not so subtle requests for a pay hike has been dismissed with a
curt no. For sure every NO hurts but once we come to terms with it, we
rationalize that there is always a Next Opportunity.
So, as the poet Longfellow
says in his poem ‘ The Psalm of Life’
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait
The First Attempt In Learning may not be
successful but you must remember that Effort
Never Dies and that
life always gives us the Next Opportunity to be successful.
Action Points:
- During this week walk up to complete strangers and wish them for the New Year. ( it is not as difficult as it first seems). Also observe their reactions for it give you clues as to what you did right or wrong.
- Ask your best friend/ sibling/ parent/ colleague to tell you honestly about the one habit / aspect of your personality that they would like you to change / improve/ work on. Ensure that you make a fervent attempt to try to work on it during the year.
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