Three Army Interviews

For most of my childhood, I didn't imagine myself sitting behind a computer.

I imagined wearing an Army uniform.

Not just joining the Army.

I wanted to become an officer.

That dream stayed with me for years.

I trained for it.

Prepared for it.

Believed in it.

When the opportunity finally came, I gave everything I had.

The first attempt ended at the interview.

It hurt.

But I convinced myself I simply needed to prepare better.

So I tried again.

The second attempt followed almost the same path.

I still wasn't ready to let go.

So I prepared for a third time.

By then, everyone around me believed I would finally make it.

To be honest...

I believed it too.

When I reached the interview stage again, I thought this was the moment everything would finally come together.

It didn't.

For the third time, my journey ended in the same room.

I've experienced disappointment before and after that day.

But nothing has ever felt quite like walking away after that third interview.

For three days, I barely spoke.

I remember crying.

I remember questioning everything.

Mostly, I remember not knowing what came next.

People often say,

"When one door closes, another opens."

Real life doesn't feel like that.

Sometimes a door closes...

and all you see is a wall.

Looking back now, I realise those three interviews didn't teach me how to fail.

They taught me how to begin again.

At the time, I couldn't see it.

Today, I wouldn't erase that experience even if I could.

Some dreams don't disappear because they weren't important.

They simply make room for a different one.