Knowledge Is Only the Beginning

I managed to reach the rank of Disciple and eventually become a Praefect. It wasn’t easy. I think I failed once or twice along the way, but in my world, there is no such thing as failure. There are only two possibilities: you either succeed, or you learn from the experience.

Even when I became a Praefect, I could hardly believe it. I honestly didn’t think I would make it.

The funny thing is, I was never really chasing a specific rank or position. I was simply trying to learn, improve myself, and contribute to the Brotherhood. Somehow, the ranks came along the way.
Perhaps we spend too much of our lives looking at the destination, forgetting that the person who begins the journey is not always the same person who reaches the end of it. I never chased a title or a position. I simply kept learning, practicing, making mistakes, and trying again.

Sometimes, we fail. Sometimes, we succeed. But perhaps neither of those things is as important as what we become in between them. A rank can be given to you, a title can be written beside your name, and a position can be taken away—but the knowledge and experience you gain along the way remain yours.

So I wonder: when you finally reach the place you once thought was beyond you, did you truly achieve something you were chasing, or did the journey quietly turn you into someone who was always capable of reaching it?