“If your achievements are history, let your struggles be the guidebook for the future…”

You are a proud government official. With your crisp uniform, organized desk, and punctual routine, you seem like the very embodiment of discipline and professionalism. Every notice, event, and official moment is shared proudly on social media — and it truly does reflect a sense of transparency and dedication. Since you're working with public funds in a public institution, keeping people informed is indeed admirable.

But behind every polished post is a story not always told. A young boy or girl — maybe your own child, maybe someone else's — is watching these updates and forming ideas about life. To them, it looks like life is always neat, perfect, and beautifully framed. What they don’t see is your past: skipping school to play in the fields, walking through muddy roads to attend classes in the rain, feeling anxious at your first job interview, making decisions that didn’t always work out, crying silently in frustration — and yet, never giving up.

Have you ever tried sharing those moments with them? That the person you are today was shaped by a hundred rejections, a thousand mistakes, and countless sleepless nights? Because what they are seeing is only the result, not the resilience. They’re exposed to a filtered world where flaws are hidden, and perfection seems normal. That illusion can crush confidence. They might start believing: “If I make mistakes, I’m a failure,” or “Why can’t I be as perfect?”

If only they knew the truth — that at their age, you walked to school with secondhand books, roamed the streets in pajamas during festivals, and often lost your way before you found it again. Then maybe they wouldn’t fear failure. Maybe they’d take mistakes as part of growth and give themselves the patience they deserve.

So yes, your achievements deserve recognition. But your struggles — those raw, unfiltered, human experiences — are no less valuable. They are living lessons, stories that can guide, inspire, and protect future generations from the illusion of perfection.

Share your story — the full story. Because your legacy isn’t just in the pride you carry, but in the courage you show. Let your life’s picture be rich not just in the frame, but in the truth it tells.

__Editor
Esteham H. Zihad Ansari