I Was Called a Failure All My Life — Now People Use My Name as an Example of Success
Growing up, I became familiar with a label I never asked for: failure. It followed me everywhere — in school, in the village, at family gatherings. People laughed at my struggles, mocked my attempts, and whispered that I would never amount to anything.
Teachers said I was “too slow,” relatives compared me to my cousins, and neighbours treated me like I had no future. Even when I tried starting small businesses, they collapsed before they even began. Every failure seemed to prove their words right, and the more I tried, the more life pushed me down. I started believing that maybe I wasn’t meant for success. Maybe my life was just cursed.
By the time I reached my mid‑twenties, everything around me was crumbling. My relationships didn’t work, my finances stayed stuck, and every opportunity slipped away at the last minute. I watched my friends grow while I remained in the same place — unemployed, frustrated, and emotionally drained. What hurt me most was how people used my name as a joke.
Whenever someone made a mistake, they would say, “Don’t end up like him.” Those words cut deeper than any knife. I wanted to scream, to run away, to disappear. I wanted one chance to prove myself, but life kept denying me over and over again.
