Raphael Kang .com

I noticed the other day that the words HUMILITY and HUMILIATION look very similar. They have the same Latin origin that means "low."

I mention this because as I wrap up my college career and get ready for the second part of my life, I look back and reflect. It's my last semester in college. I'll soon be entering mid-twenties. I've been humbled many times throughout my life, and many times this semester.

I'll be the first to admit. I'm not as smart as the best. I'm not as gifted as the best. In any shape, aspect, or form. In all honesty, my natural skills & abilities are average.

But I figured out why I can become the best.

All throughout my 23 years, I've experienced failures. I've been humiliated. I've been humbled. Life has beat me to my knees and sometimes flat on my back. But I'm the most resilient person I know. I dusted myself off and kept on moving forward. I never blamed anybody. I was too busy figuring out how to solve the problem and most importantly, move forward. And every time I failed, I got better. Sometimes, immensely better.

The best and smartest people I've met and worked with haven't experienced major failures. And they will. And when they do, it'll be a surprise. And they'll be set back.

For me, obstacles and adversities don't faze me much anymore. I've been through plenty of failures. When I experience another challenge, it only sets me back momentarily, but I bounce back harder, and I accelerate forward. I've developed a "spring" to adversities, compact and tight, that when an adversity hits, I automatically spring forward at high velocity. 

Throughout the course of my life, my competitors and I will face failures. However, upon the failures we both experience, I will spring forward harder and faster and with more vigor. That's when I'll further my lead and win.