Failure and the 100 Dollar Bill

This past Sunday, my pastor made a profound statement and I quote; "No matter how tattered, dirty, rumpled or bad state a 100 dollar bill gets, the value of the bill is still a 100 dollars"

I went...Hmmm!.. after the statement sank in and this statement has been in my heart since that day. No matter how distracted or busy it gets, it still slips into my thoughts.

Does it really mean after all those letdowns and failure and bad attempts and ruined opportunities, your value has not dropped? Could it be possible that this past record doesn't mean you are now worthless? 

I realise that sometimes, we have given our best and tried the hardest, that now we are so tired of trying and failing. We just want to give up because our super idea doesn't seem so super now. It's true that you've tried to win, to find a way out severally but you haven't found a way out; just try to one more time.

Yinmu, right?

Months ago, I had these business ideas and I was scared about losing my money, another pastor told me this; "We know all about Aliko Dangote's successes, does it mean he has never failed? Never lost money or investments?". 

Aliko Dangote is just one of the many people whose successes doesn't mean they never failed; Michael Jordan, Thomas Edison, Beethoven, are also great examples. They failed too but like that 100 dollar bill, they still believed in their worth.

How often have you heard people say failure doesn't define you? But it still feels like they don't really get what you are going through; how much you've had to give, the time and heart that went into taking this first step. Just go right ahead and give some more heart.

I know how people hustle and give their best shots; then after a while, loss begins to deplete their energy. Sometimes they try again, but mostly with a failure expectancy this time; they do not expect to succeed this time, just because they failed once. 

There are some failures that you get reminded of, no matter how much you try to forget, mostly because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity or because you never got the shot to try again; I understand that this is heart wrenching. But the big question is; Is that enough to say you're worthless?

Nobody promises that it'd all come out right and the ride would be smooth; even if they did, where is the fun in that?..*winks* 

See ehn?! Failure just means you need to go through your plans with a fine sieve next time. It means you have to try to find the loopholes and mistakes, then work to correct them. You need to re-strategize, make the goals realistic and keep pushing till you get it right.

Failure doesn't mean you are not valuable anymore. Not getting it right this time, doesn't mean your worth has depleted. Going wrong doesn't mean you do not deserve the love and affection you have. 

Renowned producer, Cobhams Asuquo said in his TEDx presentation; 'Do not excuse failure, on no account, for no reason'. The point is failure doesn't define you; no matter how much you go through in your bid to succeed, your worth remains intact; if you failed again, just do it one more time.

The best part is the more you try, the better you get at it!