FAILURE: THE BEST TEACHER YOU NEVER WANTED

Failure has a bad reputation. It’s that uninvited guest who shows up when you’re trying to impress someone, like spilling coffee on your white shirt during an important meeting. But let’s face it: failure is not just an occasional blunder—it’s a full-time job. And surprisingly, it’s the one thing in life that teaches you more than your overachieving, straight-A friend ever could.

Why Fear Failure? It’s Just a Misunderstood Villain

Most of us treat failure like a monster under the bed—terrifying, elusive, and totally avoidable if we never peek. But what if failure is actually your awkward best friend in disguise? Sure, it trips you up in public and makes you look silly, but it also gives you some of the best stories to laugh about later.

Take the story of someone who dreamt of becoming a Chartered Accountant (CA), that gold-standard professional title that screams, “I know my debits from my credits!” Now, imagine this aspiring CA struggling right out of the gate. High School Certificate (HSC) results? A disaster. The kind where you consider framing the scorecard—not as motivation, but as a warning to future generations.

But here’s the twist. Instead of giving up or pivoting to a career that doesn’t require numbers (poetry, anyone?), this person dug in their heels. The road to becoming a Chartered Accountant was no less bumpy. Failed exams, sleepless nights, and a whole lot of wondering, “What was I thinking?” Yet, each failure became a stepping stone. Slowly but surely, the same person who started with abysmal grades not only passed the CA exams but aced them.

Earning that CA title wasn’t just about the qualification—it was about proving to themselves (and anyone who doubted them) that failure was just a detour, not a dead end.

Failure Builds Character (And Tolerance for Awkward Moments)

Failure isn’t a sign that you’re doomed—it’s proof you’re trying. Nobody learns to ride a bike without a few scrapes and bruises. In fact, if you’ve never fallen off a bike, you’re either lying or you’re a sorcerer.

The same principle applies to life’s bigger challenges. Imagine bombing your first few CA exams after barely scraping through HSC. There’s no greater humility booster than seeing “Fail” in red letters across your result sheet. But failure is a funny thing—it’s like an overly critical teacher who doesn’t sugarcoat feedback but ensures you learn.

Each stumble teaches you resilience, self-awareness, and an uncanny ability to laugh at yourself when things go sideways.

Humor: The Ultimate Coping Mechanism for Failure

Here’s a pro tip: laugh at your failures before others do. Imagine our future Chartered Accountant receiving those abysmal HSC results. They could have sulked or dramatically announced, “Maths has betrayed me!” Instead, they told their friends, “I’m so bad at this, the calculator filed for divorce.”

Humor turns awkward moments into charming anecdotes. It’s the duct tape of life—versatile, cheap, and oddly effective.

Even during the CA journey, when exams didn’t go as planned, a little humor lightened the load. “Well, I didn’t fail this paper; the paper failed me!” Because when the universe seems intent on testing your patience, it’s better to laugh than to cry.

The F-Word We Should All Love: Flexibility

Failure teaches flexibility, which is just a fancy word for saying, “Well, that didn’t work. Let’s try something else.” If Plan A fails, don’t sulk—there are 25 more letters in the alphabet. And if you run out of letters, start using numbers or symbols. (Plan π, anyone?)

For our CA aspirant, flexibility meant adjusting study techniques, finding mentors, and persevering even when giving up seemed tempting. It meant realizing that failure wasn’t an endpoint but a plot twist in the story of success.

In Conclusion: Fail Loud, Fail Proud

Failure should never be an issue in your life because it’s not a flaw; it’s a feature. It’s life’s way of saying, “Let’s see how creative you can get!”

So, whether you’re a student staring at terrible results, a professional facing career setbacks, or someone who’s just spilled coffee on their shirt (again), remember: failure is temporary, and resilience is forever.

And if all else fails, remember this: the world loves a comeback story. Especially when it ends with the title “Chartered Accountant” on your business card and a story so inspiring that even your worst HSC teacher might just smile and say, “I always knew they had potential.” (Sure, they did.)

The ICAP Chartered Accountants Worldwide