A Life’s Journey: Failures, Regrets and Motivation

What motivates you the most? A question, even children, would make an essay and
enthusiastically write. Family. Friends. Hope. Happiness. Success. The genuine happiness that
bonds friends and families together. The hope that keeps everyone going. The success that is
shared by everyone. These are just few of the subjects being focus on in every essay that we
read. “What motivates you the most?” A question we never realize life has continuously asked.
And the day we answer this question wholeheartedly is the day when we answer the most
difficult question life has prepared.

The journey of life has never been easy. As cliché as it may sound, it is but the reality. In
every action that we do, it is a crossroad where we do not know what awaits us in the end. In
every decision that we make, certain things are always at stake. In every choice the we choose,
we are bound to let go of things we held on the most. It is basically a life that questions our
existence. In life where constant battle of failures, regrets and what ifs coexist, what motivates
you the most?

Failures.

Regrets.

And what ifs.

Failure- a deadly combination of fear and doubtfulness that questions the dream of every
person. Everyone has experienced failure. We fail on examinations. We fail on subjects. We fail
our parents’ expectations. And in certain circumstances, we fail ourselves. The fear that crept our
subconscious when we fail our own expectations is enough to doubt ourselves. It is enough to
question if we are worthy of success. But let me tell you this, failure is not just about failing.
Failure is the motivation behind it. If we fail on examinations, then study harder. Grade is but a
number. It cannot define the knowledge we gain from it. If we fail on subjects, retake. The
number of times we take the same subjects does not define who we are as a learner. If we fail our
parents’ expectation, try again. As strict as they may seem, they only want what is the best for us.
Their expectation is not just for their satisfaction, but for our own stability. And if we fail
ourselves at some point, cry and move on. There is no harm in crying and letting out the pent up
frustrations. But do not linger too much on that phase. Failures are meant to motivate us to do it
harder, retake certain things, try again and cry out frustrations.

Regret- a past act, a present frustration and a future what if. Did you regret anything? It is
a question that brings back the nostalgia of heartbreaks. In life, we do not always get what we
want. We are always bound to choose something over the other. Sometimes we are bound to let
go of things we held on the most to put things on place. It is sacrifice now, and regret later.
Sometimes, we regret the things we gave up. We will come to a point where we will question our
own decision. Therefore, how can regret motivate a person? Regret motivates a person through
the sacrifices it is tied up with. Regret is a reminder to everyone not to waste every heartbreak of
sacrifice we had just to be on the place we are right now.

What ifs- chances given up that haunts a person. As I was on the road going home to my
province from Manila, a random question popped inside my head. “If I left something, would I
still go back?” After several minutes, I saw u-turn. Then I asked myself, “If I left something,
would I still go back?” It was the moment when it hit me what life is. Everyone has his own past.
Everyone has his own lingering regrets. We may not know the best decision we could make, but
life at some point will give us chances. A chance to go back and make up for that past, or a
chance to continue and move on for the future. It is up for the person to decide. Life only offers
chances, but it is the person who embraces the chance life has offered.

In my life’s journey, I thought everything is all about simplicity mirrored with

contentment. I was not oriented that failures, regrets and what ifs would greet me along the way.
It is difficult to accept failures. It is hard to forget regrets. It is tough to remember what ifs. But
you know what, it is the beauty of life we never know of. It is a way of life in telling us to accept
failures and learn from it, to forget regrets but never the sacrifices, and to remember the chances
we choose to embrace.

This is life. There is only a simple rule- be happy, hope for the best, and dream for
success. Believe in everything you can do. It is hard to go up and scary to go down. We live not
just to become survivors, but to become victors. Remember this, for it is the best formula in
answering the most difficult question life has prepared.