Reflecting on my parents’ life, I knew I wanted to be wealthy and successful to live a comfortable life. As a result, I dedicated myself as a determined worker with ambitions to be the best. In all my endeavors, I ensured to put a hundred percent effort to be the best. My parents owned a landscaping company that I had aspired to work in and make my money. At the age of 10, I started working as a weed worker, where I gradually worked my way up to use a lawnmower. After a year of working as a regular worker, I found my way to the top to become a lawnmower foreman, where I would run my mowing crew. While I learned a lot by working with my parents, I have encountered several obstacles proven fundamental to my success.
As a foreman in the company, I was also in charge of hiring, besides the human resource department. On that day, I hired one of my schoolmates and introduced him to work, having established himself to be competent with mowing. Unfortunately, this was not the case; John, not his real name, was unaware of the lawn’s hidden hazards, besides his incompetence to operate the power tool. After a few minutes of moving, he was seriously hit by debris on his head. John was not working with the mower without protective gear. Luckily, he was taken to the local emergency room, where he was attended to immediately.
Following the incident, I was inconsolable and angry with myself. For about a whole week, I kept turning out my parents and my assistant’s words of consolation. Each time I was alone, I would replay the entire incident in my head, reflecting on what had gone wrong, which would, at times, shuttered my dream of becoming wealthy and successful. For an entire week, I was miserably thinking about how, if it had not been my mistake, the employee would be working in the company. Nothing could convince me that the accident was not on my shoulders. I was given a compulsory leave to get over the incident, which affected my foreman’s performance. While at home, I gave up on the job and started looking out for a different job.
After two weeks, some subordinate staff from the company came to visit me. On arriving, I was quite surprised that no one seemed to be mad at me; after all, the incident had already happened, and everyone had to be disappointed, including my parents, for that avoidable mistake. During the meeting, my mother said something that totally changed my perspective. She said, “I am proud of how you pursue your duties. You and the team have failed severally, but you never stayed down. There is no shame in failure; instead, shame comes when one stops to try.”
In conclusion, if my parents would have spared me from the mistakes, I never could have learned anything. In other words, perhaps I would be the same person today. By failing and being corrected through the right channel, I was able to grow. Notably, to an individual who has never suffered a failure, a single setback can be incapacitating. Nonetheless, failure in a person’s life is fundamental as it teaches one how to persevere in the face of hardship. My experience was excruciating; however, through it, I can apply it to other parts of my life. Through my action and what my parents made me understand its importance, I learned that failing is not important; instead, getting back up is what counts. In other words, I have learned what it takes to earn what I want and never give up, even when things seem impossible to do.