Overcoming failure and hopelessness
For many years I felt as though I was simply destined for failure. I mean failure in everything, not just socially, but in every aspect of life, love, and success. Try as I might, I could not shake the feeling that there was some mysterious force steering me towards that ultimate outcome.
This dark cloud hung over me day-in, and day-out. It was there to ensure that things would never go right, plans would unravel, and that I was always taught a humiliating lesson. It made sure that I knew what a loser I was, and that I should feel ashamed to think that any attempt at self-improvement would ever work out. “That’s reserved for the normal people of this world, didn’t you know?”
This incredible feeling of hopelessness and depression ensured that I would never hang in there long enough to overcome what I now know are “normal” setbacks, endured by the whole of society – not just me.
If I had opened my eyes a little wider and stopped obsessing about my own misfortunes, I would have noticed that there was just as much “misery” being unloaded onto the shoulders of others. I now realize that the problem wasn’t that I was being dealt an unfair amount of bad luck and hardship; it was how I interpreted these events and ultimately, how I dealt with them.
I can say that this feeling of impending failure and hopelessness was responsible for much anguish throughout my life. I felt like a loser and that the rest of society was better, smarter, luckier, and in so many ways, more fortunate than myself.
I now look at my life in terms of equal amounts of good and bad. For every bit of misfortune, there is likely to be a bit of good luck at some point – it’s a statistical fact. My problem was that I would only see the negative, and dismiss the positive. It’s how we interpret and deal with each that will ultimately determine our success.
Today, I have a much different way of looking at the world, and challenges in particular. I now tend to step back and look at the big picture. I have a more realistic belief system, and I have learned that disappointment and failure can be just as valuable, or more valuable, than success.
I look forward to the lessons of failure because this is what will truly make me a stronger person.
One Response to “Overcoming failure and hopelessness”
From my personal experience I know that the best way to overcome depression is to surround yourself with good friends. This Is my advice to you.
Leave a Reply