Failure should be seen as an opportunity
By Michelle Mumbi
Failure should be spoken about more often to encourage those who feel less of themselves and often give up on their dreams because of different circumstances. Failure should be seen as an opportunity; an opportunity to stand up and do better. Failure is an opportunity for success, to be optimistic enough to grow through your own failures. I think a lot of people see failure as a leeway to give up. The most challenging problem I see in us ‘Africans’ is that we give up quite easily; one out of ten stand up for what they believe in. Most leaders that are put in power in Africa follow the trend of practicing ‘politics of the belly’ which is seen to be one of Africa’s failures, and this has become a trend in African politics where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
This is a sign of failure, but as the generation we are, we should see this as an opportunity to better our countries through being active youth, letting our voices be heard and finding ways to contribute to our economies and societies. I would like to share brief stories of great men that inspire me to never give up - the men who built America, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Carnegie and JP Morgan, to mention but a few, were entrepreneurs who saw failure as an opportunity to do better. Most of them were not educated but worked their way up. Be your own entrepreneur and be willing to take risks, rather than being vulnerable to self. Be a people that is willing to further something you are passionate about and never be deceived by people that have failed saying you can’t do it. Be that person that looks past other people’s failures and conquer your own. Always have a positive attitude of saying you can do it no matter the challenges.
Let me briefly talk about the four great entrepreneurs. The first man was Cornelius Vanderbilt who borrowed a US$100 to buy a small ferry boat to start his business. He transported goods and eventually became America’s number one shipping company. He then invested in the railway transport and this became the biggest railway company which made him the richest man in America. Not to say he did not encounter failure, Vanderbilt never gave up and never let his failures get to him up to the time of his death.
The second is John. D. Rockefeller, he was a small-town boy, not educated per se, but was hard working and he ventured into petroleum. As small as the business was at the time, he believed he could make the most out of it and saw no defeat. He was a man who never liked competition and challenged his competitors to give up, hence, with is company Standard Petroleum, he overtook Vanderbilt and became America’s richest man.
The third is Carnegie who also wasn’t educated but had a vision. He was tasked with building a bridge over the Mississippi. He found a way to build a strong bridge by using steel and as we speak the bridge is still operating and he owns the biggest steel company in America.
The fourth is JP Morgan who was a banker. Morgan would buy bankrupt firms and restore them. Not being satisfied and driven to be better than his father who was also a banker, he started looking for other things. He then chanced upon the light bulb invented by Edison. He invested, took over the company and further, later bought Carnegie’s steel company.
Looking at this small group of people that changed America poses the question as to why us ‘Africans’ cannot do the same. I mean having entrepreneurs that want to develop our nation instead of being there for personal gains. Make no mistake, it’s okay to be an entrepreneur for personal gain but at the same time one should have the ability to develop the nation. I can tell you these people failed a number of times but, like my title says, they saw failure as an opportunity which made them the great people they were. I would like to urge people out there to never give up no matter what, keep on trying until you achieve what you really want to achieve. You have to fall to get back up.
*Michelle Mumbi is a third year student studying towards a Bachelor of Public Management at the University of Namibia. She is also a faculty representative of Economic and Management Sciences.
Failure should be spoken about more often to encourage those who feel less of themselves and often give up on their dreams because of different circumstances. Failure should be seen as an opportunity; an opportunity to stand up and do better. Failure is an opportunity for success, to be optimistic enough to grow through your own failures. I think a lot of people see failure as a leeway to give up. The most challenging problem I see in us ‘Africans’ is that we give up quite easily; one out of ten stand up for what they believe in. Most leaders that are put in power in Africa follow the trend of practicing ‘politics of the belly’ which is seen to be one of Africa’s failures, and this has become a trend in African politics where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
This is a sign of failure, but as the generation we are, we should see this as an opportunity to better our countries through being active youth, letting our voices be heard and finding ways to contribute to our economies and societies. I would like to share brief stories of great men that inspire me to never give up - the men who built America, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Carnegie and JP Morgan, to mention but a few, were entrepreneurs who saw failure as an opportunity to do better. Most of them were not educated but worked their way up. Be your own entrepreneur and be willing to take risks, rather than being vulnerable to self. Be a people that is willing to further something you are passionate about and never be deceived by people that have failed saying you can’t do it. Be that person that looks past other people’s failures and conquer your own. Always have a positive attitude of saying you can do it no matter the challenges.
Let me briefly talk about the four great entrepreneurs. The first man was Cornelius Vanderbilt who borrowed a US$100 to buy a small ferry boat to start his business. He transported goods and eventually became America’s number one shipping company. He then invested in the railway transport and this became the biggest railway company which made him the richest man in America. Not to say he did not encounter failure, Vanderbilt never gave up and never let his failures get to him up to the time of his death.
The second is John. D. Rockefeller, he was a small-town boy, not educated per se, but was hard working and he ventured into petroleum. As small as the business was at the time, he believed he could make the most out of it and saw no defeat. He was a man who never liked competition and challenged his competitors to give up, hence, with is company Standard Petroleum, he overtook Vanderbilt and became America’s richest man.
The third is Carnegie who also wasn’t educated but had a vision. He was tasked with building a bridge over the Mississippi. He found a way to build a strong bridge by using steel and as we speak the bridge is still operating and he owns the biggest steel company in America.
The fourth is JP Morgan who was a banker. Morgan would buy bankrupt firms and restore them. Not being satisfied and driven to be better than his father who was also a banker, he started looking for other things. He then chanced upon the light bulb invented by Edison. He invested, took over the company and further, later bought Carnegie’s steel company.
Looking at this small group of people that changed America poses the question as to why us ‘Africans’ cannot do the same. I mean having entrepreneurs that want to develop our nation instead of being there for personal gains. Make no mistake, it’s okay to be an entrepreneur for personal gain but at the same time one should have the ability to develop the nation. I can tell you these people failed a number of times but, like my title says, they saw failure as an opportunity which made them the great people they were. I would like to urge people out there to never give up no matter what, keep on trying until you achieve what you really want to achieve. You have to fall to get back up.
*Michelle Mumbi is a third year student studying towards a Bachelor of Public Management at the University of Namibia. She is also a faculty representative of Economic and Management Sciences.
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