Lessons I Learned From My Failures

Failure is inevitable. Failure is essential. But most importantly, failure is good.

Yes, that’s right. I believe that it’s our mistakes that define our success. It’s through failure that you learn about yourself; about who you are.

You learn about your capabilities, your strengths, and your weaknesses. But most importantly, you learn about your limits.

But that’s not something we’re taught in schools, workplaces, or homes. Instead, we’re taught to defend ourselves and fear failure. But I’ve learned more through my mistakes than my successes.

I’ve learned that:

Failure Makes You Stronger  

When you fail, you learn about your weaknesses; things that don’t work in your favor.

We’ve been taught that weaknesses are flaws and that we shouldn’t show them to people. I believe that our weaknesses are an essential part of us and that we can turn them into strengths.

If you’re not a fast runner, you can practice every day to improve your speed. If you’re a swimmer and can’t do the Butterfly Stroke, you can work out every day to strengthen your muscles and improve.

You Should Pursue What You Love

Do what you’re passionate about. There isn’t any success without failure. I’m passionate about skeleton racing and I worked hard for years to participate in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Even though I didn’t win a gold medal, that doesn’t mean I won’t get another opportunity. Right now, my goal is besting all the other athletes at the Beijing Olympics 2022, winning a gold medal and making Ghana proud.

Don’t give up on your dreams. If you keep sleeping, they’ll remain dreams. You need to wake up and work towards achieving them.

Sometimes, Nobody Knows What They’re Doing

There are times when I wonder what direction I’m going or what I’m doing with my life. And that’s okay. I’ve come to realize that you don’t need to know everything.

You don’t need to be good at everything. One thing I’ve noticed that people believe that because we’re athletes, we’re good in everything.

There are athletes that aren’t good at running, swimming, or lifting weights. That doesn’t mean they’re not good. They’re good at what they do best—playing their sport.

I’m a skeleton racer but I’m probably the last person you’d want to approach when it comes to figure skating or keeping my balance.

But I also don’t know everything there is about skeleton racing. I’m a human being. I learn something new every day and I’m going to continue learning—through my failures.

Learn more about my journey to the Beijing Olympics 2022 here.