“There’s nothing impossible to him who will try.” – Alexander the Great
Why do dreams die?
Why does hope wither?
Why don’t we succeed?
You can tell a dozen reasons. Some self-help gurus could mention some ‘secrets.’ That’s a mixed matter. All people have opinions. But I think the simple thing which really decides why we fail (or succeed) is obvious.
The reason why we don’t succeed
The reason why people don’t succeed is that they don’t try. They almost never take the first step. They don’t begin. And even if they do, they avoid putting in the work that’s required.
Simple? I hope so.
Now, you could mention people who didn’t succeed in spite of trying hard, which according to me is fine. In the end, failure and success are both outcomes. One of them happens.
However, the effort comes first. It’s a form of success, of breaking resistance, and of overcoming limitations. You don’t feel like a loser when you’ve given a fair shot. The contentment you feel in your heart after trying leaves no space for regrets or guilt.
You know you did something – so you can take a breath of relief. “Good, at least you did something,” you can hear your heart whisper.
Also, most failure stories aren’t really failure stories. Rather, they could be termed as ‘I didn’t try’ stories. I know, because I’m a normal person who goes through all of this. Mostly, I fail when I don’t try – and I know it in my heart. I can’t lie to myself.
It shows.
Most instances are similar.
- Didn’t become a singer? They didn’t sing.
- Haven’t sold a bestseller? They never wrote one.
- Didn’t lose weight? They didn’t make it a priority.
- Couldn’t read enough books? They procrastinated.
Maybe we don’t want to admit it. Or we want to believe that there are other reasons which drag us down. So we pretend like the cause of our failure is somewhere outside whereas we’re the reason.
It’s just that we don’t try.
But here’s the thing
The next time you think you’re failing, question yourself often.
“Did I try? If yes, did I try hard enough? Did I put in whatever it takes?” If you can answer those questions honestly, then maybe you played your part. You can try again. The journey never ends.
So try.
Go on.
I’m trying to make life work.
I’m trying to improve what I suck at, to be a better person, to do the things I don’t know. I’m trying to do whatever I’m capable of, and I think that’s what makes us powerful – the ability to try – and, the odds can’t always be against us.