FAILURE MANAGEMENT

FAILURE MANAGEMENT
Retirement Ramblings 
By
VIKRAM KARVE

Every person, sooner or later, goes through a moment when it seems that he or she is on the wrong road, that his entire way of life is wrong.

Have you ever experienced this feeling?

Think about it.

Do you find yourself stuck in an incongruous career?

Do you feel trapped in an incompatible relationship?

Do you feel stifled in a desolate place?

Do you feel hapless, suffocated and frustrated with life?

And sadly there is nothing you can do about your frustration owing to compulsions and constraints beyond your control.

You cannot turn around and retrace your steps or change your road of life.

It seems you have crossed the point of no return and you have no choice but to keep on travelling on the “wrong” road of life.

Failure follows failure.

And with repeated failure comes the fear of failure.

It is indeed a terrible vicious cycle which gradually overwhelms you with the chill of despondency.

What can you do in such a situation?

Maybe the answer lies in a saying I read somewhere a few years ago and noted in my diary:

“ Ou Dieu vous a seme, il faut savoir fleurir ” 

which roughly translated means

“ You must know how to flower where God has sown you ” 

or

“ wherever God plants you, there you must learn how to bloom ”

If you do not get what you like

then

you must learn to like what you get 

and 

you must make the most of it 

Like they say in the Navy: if you don’t like it, just lump it - “like it or lump it” 

There is another saying I read a few years ago:

If life gives you a lemon, make lemonade.

Yes, when life gives you a “lemon” use that “lemon” and make “lemonade” instead of cribbing and carping, wallowing in self pity, becoming bitter and spreading bitterness, and making your own life hell and everyone else’s life miserable.

Like they say in NLP :

There is no such thing as “failure” 

There is only “learning experience”

So, metaphorically, the “lemon” is the failure and the “lemonade” is the learning experience.

And this “learning experience” will enable you to “flower” and “bloom” wherever you are “sown” or “planted”

Well, I have tried to follow this mantra - “ Ou Dieu vous a seme, il faut savoir fleurir”  

When I was in the Navy, wherever the navy transferred me, to whatever job they assigned me, whether they promoted me or not, I tried not to get disillusioned or demoralized, and in my own inimitable style, I tried to do my best to “flower” and “bloom” wherever I was “sown” or “planted”. 

Yes, I made “lemonade” with all the “lemons” the navy gave me.

I am trying to do this after my retirement too, trying to “flower” and “bloom” in the back-of-beyond lonely place called Wakad, near Pune, where God has planted me after my retirement. 

That is one of the reasons you are reading this blog - yes, the result of all this “flowering” and “blooming” is this prolific blog and the couple of books I have written. Well, I am going to flower and bloom away and bash on regardless with my blogging and writing since this is the best thing I can do where God has planted me. 

God has given me the “lemon” of loneliness. 

And from this “lemon” I made the “lemonade” of my blogs and my books.

Have a good day - whatever “lemons” you get today, just keep making “lemonade” and enjoy every drop of it.

And talking of the “lemon” of failure, let me tell you one thing I have learnt from my own life experiences.

Sometimes, failure is good - you can take my word for it.

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2013
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. 
© vikram karve., all rights reserved. 

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About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional  and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
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Email: vikramwamankarve@gmail.com

Twitter: @vikramkarve

      

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