Never Thought I Would Fail
"Wow i finally made it" were the first words that came out of my mouth as people in the cybercafe turned to look at me. I just smiled and concentrated on what i was looking at.
I'd lost my phone a few months back and because i hadn't gotten a new one, i had to make use of an internet cafe to check my admission status for my intended university.
This was good news for me as I'd already spent a year at home waiting for the good news to happen.
I rushed home to inform my parents and in no time preparations were underway for my life as an undergraduate and also the first time i was leaving home for an extended period of time that didn't involve leisure.
Already a number of thoughts were going through my head as I anticipated the day I would finally leave home. The freedom was probably the biggest part of it, the thought that i was finally going to be responsible for every single part of my day without much interference.
I arrived minna, Niger state which was where my university was situated and where i would be staying with an uncle pending when i got my own apartment. I was already a bit familiar with the university environment from a previous visit before my admission, so it wasn't the school environment i was really interested in but the campus lifestyle itself.
The lifestyle there eventually didn't have much difference except that the state itself had a much quieter outlook compared to the hustle and bustle of where i came from. I wasn't someone who was into much of the crazy partying lifestyle so the serene environment fit my personality perfectly.
Lectures resumed fully and i was able to make one or two close friends and so campus life continued. The new freedom was quite intoxicating and i began to deviate in my resolve for success in school. First semester exams came and went and in no time results were out.
This was where i had my first shock. Prior to going to the university, all my education up till that moment I'd never failed an exam. I always made it through even if it meant a narrow escape.
But here i was in my first session and I'd already failed a course because I'd been overconfident. This realization shocked me and brought me down from whatever high mountains I'd previously perceived I was on.
I realized at that moment that it was quite easy to fail there. Even though I had decent grades in my other courses, that one failure was a wake up call. Luckily my friends were older than i was and had experience dealing with such situations, so they were able to help me out of that life crisis.
The next session began and this time around I knew it was quite alright to be confident in my abilities but not to the point where i didn't back it up with hardwork.
It's funny now that I think of it, but back then i had a piece of paper glued to the wall beside my bed where i made a promise to myself i wasn't failing again.
I woke up every morning and it was the first thing I would see. This had a great calming effect on me for the next session.
I finally had a closure on my previous attitude towards my education, it was time to move on from my previous mistakes.
Although I did have one or two slips before i graduated, it wasn't because i didn't put in the work. Thus those failures didn't affect me as much as the initial one did because I knew I just had to try harder.
Hi @hazmat. You didn't mention the prompt, "when one door closes, another door opens," but this certainly matches that theme. The door closed on your good academic record! But what a great lesson, and a motivator to be sure to work harder.
Well said! Sometimes we become over confident and don't realize we have neglected to take all the necessary steps along the way to our goals.
Thank you for reading and commenting on the work of other community members.
Sometimes, failure is an opportunity for us to do better. It's also a good thing you had friends who are more experienced to help you out. Thanks for sharing.