Focus on the Path in Front of You Not the Mountain Ahead

As Originally Post on Medium

On my 17th birthday, a week after school started, I sat in front of my principal with tears in my eyes. The principal sighed and broke the news to me. I would be entering my senior year of high school unable to graduate and that there was nothing I could do to fix this.

I was nearly 2 years behind in school. In terms of academic standing, I only completed enough credits to be classified as a sophomore — I was devasted. My whole grade would be moving on with their lives while I was stuck in high school forever.

I cried during that entire meeting — I felt like such a complete failure. I felt trapped, lost, and hopeless.

I had struggled with depression, anxiety, and PTSD in high school, along with many negative symptoms from my disorders. It was a struggle for me to go to school, let alone get my homework done. What made things more difficult for me is that I went to a college preparatory school, so they expected a lot out of me.

Everything changed for me on April 30th, 2013. After months of dedication and hard work I officially received my high school diploma from the State of New Mexico. I had successfully passed all requirements subjects needed for the General Equivalency Diploma or better known as a GED.

The best part? I graduated two whole weeks before the rest of my class did. Not only did I graduate in my senior year, but I did it before the rest of my grade had.

Fast forward a few months and I was enrolled in college. I found my passion for psychology and human behavior during my first week of classes. From that point on, I was a dedicated student and performed very well in school. I then went on to get my master’s degree in psychology as well.

I took the biggest setback of my life and transformed it into my greatest success story. Along the way, I learned to appreciate all types of failures as they were there to help me grow.

All my failures have led to my success today.

Success is as infinite as failure

Success and failure go hand in hand, when one happens, the next is sure to follow. How can we notice our success and progress without any failure to guide us?

Failure lights our path to see what we must change; from there we can grow.

I used to run from failure to the point where it would drive me away from potential success. Failure felt like a death sentence, as though I would never escape.

After I graduated college, I was afraid to join the workforce. Why was I afraid you might be wondering? Well, I was afraid I was going to fail. But I knew that whatever I failed at was there to teach me.

I got my first ever ‘adult’ job at a local hospital. I worked as a psychometrist which required a lot of specialized training in neuropsychological testing. This meant I was being monitored during testing with patients and was given feedback at the end by the doctor who observed me.

After each testing, I got a page full of feedback that showed where I needed to improve. At first, this was very difficult for me to handle. I had studied all the manuals from front to back and was sure I had every test nailed down. So to hear that I missed something felt soul-crushing.

Thankfully, through this job, I realized that failure is meant to help you, not label you.

Once I discovered this, I found that I embraced failure much more positively.

Celebrate every small success

Enjoying the small success is key to ensuring you get that bigger success. When we achieve a goal, it does not just happen overnight. You have to put in hours of dedication and time, which includes stumbling a bit.

Before the pandemic began, I was in a bowling league. At the beginning of my first season came in near dead last out of almost 100 people. I was devastated! But this time I told myself this simple phrase:

If I am the worst at something — anything at all — then, that means I will become most improved.

I spent all my free time at the bowling alley just practicing and practicing to ensure that I was making steady progress. On the days I couldn't afford to bowl, I would simply sit, watch, and learn from others.

I had made such an impression on the people at the bowling alley that I had caught the attention of the professional bowler who owned the place. The professional bowler was so helpful, and he guided me.

I watched as my name climbed on the ranked bowler list every single week — my work was paying off.

I was determined to become the rising star that everyone wanted on their team — and that’s exactly what I had done. By the end of the bowling season I had won numerous awards and cash prizes for most improved and highest handicapped series for women. Not only that but I beat a long time — almost professional bowler — for the highest handicapped series award.

Every single week I worked on my bowling and I got better. And each week that I got better it helped me get closer to being the bowler I wanted to be. The massive failure at the beginning of the season propelled me into MVP status.

I had many setbacks that I thought were going to stop me. But I took all those moments and turned them into my greatest success stories.

No matter your failure, you can always rise above and achieve amazing things. Remember that success does not stop failure, and the failure does not stop success. The journey you are on is unique to you, your life, and your true passions.

Failure will forever be my most trusted guide into my next success story.