Failure...easily one of my greatest fears...failing to accomplish my goals, to serve others, to be happy, to make others happy, and much more...but more than anything the failure of not succeeding or making a positive impact....
For the longest time I was terrified of failure since one of the biggest things I don't want to happen is to have to come face-to-face with my family and loved ones and see a look of absolute disappointment in what I failed to do...what I failed to accomplish...
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
I dream of changing the world and trying to leave a positive legacy, its a big dream and its something that I cannot accomplish on my own.
During the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers National Conference in Indianapolis I got a rejection notification from one of the top companies I wanted to work for, and who I had also recently interviewed with. On top of that, I failed to recognize a chapter I hold very dear to me along with several others for a simple concept that I didn't even think about solely because I was so focused on top performance, numbers, and statistics I had forgotten about so many other factors to take into consideration...
The rejection from the company for me was a huge blow since I had been following this company, networking my way around all their HR recruiters and having my resume critiqued and interview skills as polished as they can be for the past two years. Based on their feedback, I had done everything correctly, I interviewed well, my background was impressive and they had nothing negative to say. The only reason I wasn't selected was because compared to those who were selected they were the better candidates, they had a better fit.
I'll admit it, I was frustrated, however, after speaking with a man at the conference who I consider a mentor he told me that I could sit there in my hotel room depressed and let it ruin my conference. OR I could take time, get a grip on everything and analyze what happened and what I can do to make myself a better and make things right.
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
― Thomas A. Edison
If you don't believe me about learning to view your failures as learning experiences ask any CEO about a time they failed....they will go on about how they grew the most as a result of mistakes they have made.
During a leadership panel three corporate leaders were asked "We've all heard and read about your successes, what about a time when you failed?" The look on all three of their faces looked like they had a bad war flashback. However, one of them even stated: "Which one? There's so many to chose from"
The greatest of the greatest have experienced failure, what sets them apart is how they get back up and what they learned from their failure.
When it comes to the people I am indebted to and the people who have invested in me, there's nothing I can do within my lifetime that can repay everything they've given me. This goes back to the SHPE Chapters that I failed to recognize properly and for those who have worked tirelessly to set new milestones for their members...
I'm not perfect, nor do I strive to be. I strive to bring people together, to create a sense of unity, and most importantly to use all my skills and strengths to inspire everyone to strive to reach a common goal.
I still have a very long road ahead of me and a lot to learn...I apologize for anyone who had to suffer from my mistakes during my learning process and know that I am working to fix that as well as make things right in everything I do.
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”
― Maya Angelou
We learn best from our mistakes, and I have made plenty of them...for those reading this and for those especially who work with me know that I will continue to learn and grow to exceed the expectations set of me as a leader and as a friend.
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