Failure Is Not Final - Just Keep On

Felix Odiwuor alias Mzee Jalango Mwenyewe  is no ordinary Kenyan celebrity (comedian). He has experienced both sides of life. At one time, he was a noble fisherman earning a mere income of Ksh. 160 per day; while fishing in Lake Victoria. However, he had a dream and an ambition. He wanted the best for his life.

Today, Kenya celebrates Mzee Jalas because he went out of his way and has seen his dream through. Citizen Guard salutes Mzee Jalas for not relenting and giving excuses for his past low life.

You’ve got to keep moving forward. Whatever destiny has bestowed upon your path in life; in whatever you decide to do, don’t give up. If you want to make history, don’t give excuses for failure. Otherwise, you will become history. The list for excuses does not end; ‘I am too old to do it’ ‘I am too young to do it’ ‘I have a dark past’ ‘ My mother was a prostitute' 'our tribe are not good in business’ ‘ my father was a thief’ ‘I never went to school’ ‘I am just a village person’ ‘the only inheritance left to me was just an old photocopy of an identity card’ Nobody will ever force you to succeed, but if you commit to success, then nobody can stop you from succeeding. An anonymous once said that, ‘failure is the most commonly traveled road towards success. 

•  Over twenty years ago, the world’s richest man; Bill gates, was a penniless and good for nothing. He further compounded his life misery by dropping out of college. In fact, he turned out to be a disgrace to his family, and society in general. While sited outside their home, in a basement, Bill heard his mum shouting his name. ‘Bill, Bill, Bill, where are you’. ‘Mum, I am here at the basement, doing what I love best; thinking’, Bill replied. Perhaps, we might guess about what Bill could have been thinking about; Microsoft. And today, he is the world’s richest man.
• Barrack Obama too had a unique childhood story. His parents separated while he was a mall kid. However, the confusion and difficulty associated with his childhood could not blur his vision and ambition to be the current president of the coveted United States Of America. In fact, he is the most influential person living in the world today.
• Adi Dassler, the founder of Adidas started out as an uneducated cobbler. However, he loved his job and had an ambition and commitment; to be the best cobbler in the world. Today, Adidas has grown into a coveted company, estimated at over billions of dollars.
•  Columbus would not have discovered America if he had not failed in his quest to find a sea route to India.
•  Albert Einstein did not speak till the age of four. He did not read till age seven. He was ‘mentally slow, unsociable and drift forever in foolish dreams’. But in 1921, Einstein won a Nobel Prize in Physics. And his advice was, ‘tried not to become a man of success but a man of value'.
• Michael Jordan was ridiculed that he could not slam any ball. He was further cut from his High school basketball teams. In 1992, Jordan played in the USA dream team; in summer Olympics. He says, ‘I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed’.
• Charles Darwin gave up a medical career. His dad told him, ‘You care for nothing but shooting, dogs and catching rats.’ Charles Darwin became the father of modern Biology.
• Ludwig Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly. His teacher called him ‘hopeless as a composer’ while completely deaf, he wrote greatest symphonies that have constantly been played over time; even up to today.
• Diogesthenes was born a stammerer; yet he lived to be the greatest Greek orator; of all time.

In life, failure should act as a motivation towards success. Failure is not final. You have to pick yourself up, dust up and begin moving forward. If you want to be successful faster, you must double your chances of failure’…Anonymous. Keep your head up because failure is not final