There was a time I was afraid of failing.
Failing relationships. Failing grades. Failing the expectations of my family. Failing my job.
But what does failure really mean?
It’s about failing in life to learn more about myself and take it as a lesson/lessons in life.
A valuable lesson that in failure, something beautiful is going to happen and that a life can become beautiful no matter how many failures there are.
I failed my driving by being the person at fault in two driving accidents.
I failed my nursing degree and got excluded for continuous academic failures.
I failed my dad’s expectation of holding down a full time job for as long as possible.
In all these failures, these are all very unique lessons of life and that a journey of failing things in life makes this call “life”.
No one is made perfect in this world and naturally we all have our flaws.
I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my failures.
My failures shape me who I am now.
In failures, I found strength.
Do you know what’s also interesting?
In failures, there are opportunities too.
Opportunities to learn, grow and empower yourself and know that not everything in life has to go your way perfectly.
If any, I would love to fail more in life and come out stronger as a person. As a human being.
As a human being, shaped and empowered by her flaws and imperfections in her life.
Growing up as a younger person, and no knowing the uncertainties around failing because as a society, we are conditioned to have everything ‘right’ in life and that failing was not an option.
In society, failing would show what person you are, and even harder, being a strong woman would mean it’s not acceptable to fail in the slightest. Failing would mean you are weaker than others in societal standards. Failing would mean you have taken a step backwards and that you are slower than others trying to navigate this so called thing called, “life”.
I also learnt that there’s a connection between failing and being perfect.
As a woman, I grew up thinking that I had to have the perfect grades, meet the perfect partner, be the perfect mum one day and always hold my head up high when hardship and failures hit me in life.
In failures and perfectionism, there is something beautiful about being a failure and imperfectly navigating life in a raw and vulnerable way.
I share my deepest and raw moments in social media.
I share I’m unapologetically me and portray that my life is not perfect. Many on social media only show the good, the best and the perfect life but not everyone can share their most vulnerable moments.
Vulnerable moments to remind that we are all human and aren’t perfect creatures.
I love following people on social media who show up on social media, showcasing their failures and imperfections and seeing this empowers me and I love it.
This is how I try to show up on my social media and I try to remind myself to not only post the positives and good highs in my life, but also show the downs and difficulties in life.
Life is so beautiful when we accept our flaws, we make mistakes and take it as a grain of salt and that in life’s sometimes misery and lows; we can find peace in ourselves and find beauty in it.