Everyone has fears.
Growing up, it changed frequently. But the fear that never wavered, the fear that stayed the same, the fear that crippled me time and time again until I learned to take charge was the fear of failure.
Perseverance, they taught me, is the ability to stand back up after a heavy blow. Well, perseverance was never the hard part; it was never even a part for me. All because I wasn’t able to risk getting the blow in the first place.
Taking risks didn’t come naturally to me as it did to other people. I had to constantly push myself saying, “What’s the worst that could possibly happen?” Knowing that a lot of things could go wrong and knowing that I may suffer a loss that would push the starting point way back, I refrained from taking risks.
So, why take the risk? Why not stay in a safe zone and prevent bruises? Over the years, I have learnt that the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. There have been many times when I chose to do something small, even though I could do better, because I was afraid of a potential loss, but the people who went big, went big (literally).
The fear of failure cripples you more than you could ever imagine. It makes achievements suddenly become very elusive. When you are able to overcome this fear, you realise that despite all your worries, failure is actually your best friend because it leads you to success through perseverance.
Thus, I’ve come to understand that failure isn’t the enemy; it’s the beginning. Each misstep, each fall, is simply a lesson wrapped in discomfort. Growth never lives in comfort zones. The real failure lies in never trying. I no longer let fear decide the size of my dreams. Now, I take the leap, even if I fall, because I’ve learned that the worst that can happen is never as bad as not knowing how far I could have gone. And every time I rise again, I rewrite what failure means to me: not an end, but a step toward becoming who I was always meant to be.
Kimberly Somtochukwu OZOH
Class of 2027