In a world where everyone talks about success, what’s one failure of yours that rarely gets spoken about?
Rakshanda Meshram: That’s a great question. A significant turning point for me, which I consider a productive failure, was having to repeat my second year of engineering.
At the time, I was going through some significant personal challenges that were making it impossible to focus on my studies. I realized that just pushing through wouldn’t solve the core issue and would likely lead to continued poor performance.
So, I made a very difficult but conscious decision to step back and prioritize my well-being. I accepted that my academics would suffer in the short term, and I used that year as a strategic pause. It wasn’t about giving up; it was about rebuilding. I used that time to work on myself, understand my priorities, and develop better coping mechanisms.
When I returned, I was a different person—more focused, resilient, and mature. My grades improved dramatically, but more importantly, I learned that true success isn’t about avoiding failure. It’s about having the self-awareness to know when you need.