Success and Failure

The future is a scary thing. In fact, every time I'm asked the question "What are you planning to do post-college?" I can only say that I'm planning on going to grad school but the key word there is "planning." I think that word scares me, it is synonymous with "never guaranteed." You can control certain things leading up to something you want in the future but after that it's all up to fate to see where you will end up. However, all those countless hours of preparation and careful planning can be unraveled by a single, cruel twist of fate. It's like watching a model airplane that you just finished accidentally get stepped on by your little brother. You dedicate so much time to every little details, perfecting each and every part. It was perfect in every aspect. A symbol of your hard work and patience. Yet, you could not avoid the tragedy of it being destroyed. Moments like these often lead us to question why things like this happens. It's too unfair. It only leads to sadness, confusion, and anger.

Despite the fact that fate can be cruel, I think it is very important that we realize that when one door closes, several others swing wide open. The problem is that our gaze too fixed upon that single closed door that we fail to notice the other doors that are open. One of the biggest inspiration stories of my life is the life story of my dad. He went to UCI (like me!) for undergraduate school where he excelled in most of his classes. He was an aspiring pre-med student who is the son of a renowned heart surgeon from a small town in Sacramento. His parents pushed him to become a doctor and he openly accepted the challenges, preparing his entire life to become a doctor and only a doctor. Fourth year of college swings by and he scored decently on his MCAT, had an impressive GPA, an equally impressive resume, and an abundance of volunteer and research hours. He applied to 30-something medical schools. He received 30-something rejection letters. He was confused at first as to why he didn't receive a single acceptance letter, but then he decided move forward and see what other options he had available. He was accepted to UCLA's public health graduate program and he then went to work for the FDA until he resigned from the FDA and started his own pharmaceutical consulting business. Now he just as successful, if not more, as a doctor and he still is working in the medical field doing the things that he loves.

Stories like those are inspirational to me. It provides me a beacon of light in a room full of darkness. Those stories are solid proof that you can find success in failures. Sometimes those twist of fate and failures can be a blessing in disguise. I guess a analogy that works for me is failures can be like cough medicine, hard to swallow but in the end it will only help you.

A little bit of inspiration for those who follow my blog...