SLC-S29/W5-“Thinking and Ideas!| Ideas That Failed (and Why)!”

Failure is often more educational than success.

I agree but not fully. Today I am successful in my field but if I had chosen my way of my original plans I could be better off. I will now describe my ideas that did not work. I hereby invite @kouba01 @jyoti-thelight and @suboohi

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Your Questions My Answers

Describe an idea, plan, or decision (yours or someone else’s) that failed.

I will tell you about my plan Chasing the plan that failed. I once dreamed of becoming a sportsman, a vision of glory on the field, the roar of crowds, the thrill of victory. It was a plan etched in my young heart, a decision fueled by endless hours practicing shots in cricket field.

Those were the day when there were no fancy grounds but rough grounds for swinging a cricket bat under the summer sun. A ball that I wanted to spin but that swung without much effort due to uneven cricket pitches.

But that dream faded, crumbling like old stadium bleachers. What went wrong? Looking back, the reasons stack up like hurdles I couldn't clear.

First, timing betrayed me. In a place like India, where family expectations weigh heavy, academics trumped athletics early on. "Study first, play later," my parents urged, diverting me to books when I needed coaches.

As I said opportunities were scarce, no fancy academies, just local matches against better-equipped rivals from bigger colleges. So the resources mattered with no support from parents, no proper gear, just my talent and my willingness.

Thankfully I had no serious injuries but a twisted ankle during a school tournament, turning passion into caution. But the worst came from my father when he stopped me from taking part in selection process for the state team and the chance slipped away.

In the process my discipline faltered too as I was forced to sit for late-night studies which further clashed with my future plans. Motivation waned amid failures, loss of mind, self-doubt hit me harder because I was expecting cheers but I found tears in my fate.

My father thought I should chase stable job, rather than choosing a career in sports which had no money during my early days. I feel my father wanted to see me repeating his success stories pulling me toward safer paths like being a professional.

So you can say the missing mentorship and no guiding hand to navigate me into sports or see my potential and a few other factors like economic support, where sports stardom had no meaning for parents during those days.

I would say, it was bad luck, poor choices, and systemic barriers imposed on me by my parents especially by my father. All of them. Yet, that failed dream didn't break me rather it reshaped me. I obeyed my father, became a professional even if my plan of becoming a sportsman failed miserably.

What was the original intention behind it?

My original intention behind this dream of becoming a sportsman was pure passion and escape to chase glory on the field, inspired by local games in my school and college dusty grounds of cricket stardom in the story of my heroes like Sunil Gavaskar, Ajit Wadekar and thers like them.

Despite my father's strict opposition and push toward a "professional" path like studies or stable work, I envisioned professional success, playing for years in badminton at the stadium and dreaming of national pride but even that failed as I had to focus on my other targets.

It stemmed from childhood joy in sports, a rebellion against family pressures, aiming for freedom, fitness, and the roar of crowds but then realities like discipline clashes derailed it. So I am what I am today, a marketing professional but I am sure if all had gone my way, I would be a successful sportsperson.

Why do you think it failed?

Obviously, my sportsman dream likely failed due to intense family pressure, especially from my strict father who prioritized a "professional" career like studies over cricket, forcing a pivot despite my years playing this game.

In India context, I was fortunate having a better access to quality coaching as my college supported the game. As I said, my father's demands that clashed with my training so a discipline gaps emerged and as you know during those days childhood's "heartfelt thrashings" channeled my energy turning me toward safer paths, while my motivation faded without a proper mentorship or should I say support from family.

I would say systemic barriers in my family, and my father's vision for economic gain since sports were no where in the list of a successful career in that era sealed the shift. Ultimately, it built me marketing professional instead.

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What would you do differently if given another chance?

If given another chance at my sportsman dream? No way, for one, I am well past that age and two my father is no more in this world. But yes, I'd prioritize open dialogue with my father earlier, negotiating balanced time for further training alongside studies to honor family values while pursuing passion.

I would have attended the selection process and I knew I would be in the state team. I would then have access to best coaches and academies sooner, leveraging my skills for via match fee funding build a top notch career in my favorite sports.

When I read about disciplined daily routines blending for better facilities for resilience with rigorous practice, tracking progress and regular opportunities, sponsors, turning talent of a sportsperson skyrocketing to the moon.

However, I embrace failures as fuel, avoiding past motivation dips by setting future goals. If I get a yet another chance this path could take me to places with my positive spirit. Impossible at this age but since you asked.