Well, you know what?
I'm not going to tell myself I failed, and I'm not going to tell myself I lost - because I didn't. Sure, I may have finished last, but at least I tried, and that's what matters. Because most people in this world are too afraid to even try. I'm glad to have found the courage in myself to take part in something so big. I'm proud, even though everything went wrong and nothing went as I wished it to go, to be able to say I was there, competing against the best - showing people the best of my ability. And I believe that no matter what the final outcome was, I have won a very meaningful victory within myself. I pushed myself to compete against the best, to do something which was so scary at first; I gave it my all, and now, I leave this place with my head up high. I am not going to weep because I couldn't go as far as I wanted to today, but instead, I'll celebrate how far I have come over the years.
We must always remember - the greatest rewards in life come from doing the things that scare us the most. It's okay to lose, to stumble and fall at first, because no one was born a winner. We become winners through our ability to get through hard times when everything seems like it's falling apart, and through the ability to say ''I'll do better next time'' and to make it happen. Quitting is never the answer, and it may sound cliché, but the people who quit are the real losers, not the people who try and finish last.
So give everything your best, and do whatever you want to - never back down because you are scared, frightened and afraid to do something. Live life, for every day is precious. Do what makes you happy, and take the opportunities that are right in front of you - don't be frightened by the prospect of failing, because no success comes without prior failures. Try your best always, and remember: the only battle which is lost is one that is never fought.
Written by Daniel Perera
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