Failure To Success

This is a story of how a certain situation can turn into an opportunity. A story of me failing the interview and how I used this situation as a chance to grow.

A few years ago, while I was still in Cebu City (for non-Filipinos, Cebu is one of the biggest and progressive cities in the Philippines), working as a transcription processor, I found myself hating the job I was currently in. I had so many reasons why I felt that way. Thus, going to work was a kind of torture for me. I wanted to submit my resignation letter and stop right away, but then I realized, I couldn't just quit just because I was no longer happy. Instead of quitting, I kept looking for one good reason to stay, and as of that moment, my only reason was that I had nowhere to go.

Honestly, I wasn't good at English. I envy those who could simply speak like it was just their native language. That's why I didn't quit my job because nowadays, most jobs available are calls-related work, and even if there were data entry jobs, there was no assurance that I could make it. So I stayed with my job and to survive, I had to find ways to feel motivated somehow.

Then something happened that changed my life. One time, an HR called me via phone. It was a phone interview from a company I didn't even apply for. I don't know who referred me, but I'm grateful that that person did.

To my surprise, I was able to answer the basic questions and pronounced the words properly. The interviewer told me to come to their office so I could have another interview. I was hesitant because I knew right then that I would fail instantly, but my instinct told me to go. I told myself, win, or lose, it won't kill me.

So I did. I was nervous at that time. When my name was called, and when I entered the room, there were already a few others too. The interview then started and when it was my turn to answer some questions, though I was able to answer some, there were moments that I was speechless. I knew I failed but what made me happy on that day was the feedback.

According to the interviewer's note: I just needed more practice. My pronunciation was okay but lacks fluency.

And that day, it gave me hope and courage to practice the language. The next day when I got back to work, I told my closest friends and asked them to support me. I asked them if we could do EOP. Some of my friends were not into it, but as time went by, they finally felt comfortable with the idea of speaking English all the time.

Days to weeks to months to years, I somehow improved my communication skills. I'm not saying that I'm doing perfectly well with my English, but I know it's a lot better now and sounded way better too. After all those practices my friends and I did, I was able to use it when my Italian client called me via Skype for our interview.

Now, even if my friends and I don't see each other anymore, I continue to speak in English with my nieces and nephews. It's fun because we enjoyed it so much, and they are so good at it.

This is why I believe that failure isn't a curse or an indication of one's weakness. When you know how to use it to turn the table, then it can be an opportunity to grow yourself into something bigger. However, if you feel like failure is the end of everything, then it will be the END of everything.

So for me, failure is a part of success as long as one knows how to use it properly. Don't get discouraged because it is just part of the long process. One can never reach the top without failing a hundred times. Instead of losing hope, why not use it to motivate you and improve yourself. Remember, failure starts when you stop believing in yourself.

**All photos are free images from Pixabay.