Drown me with Words

(I consider this a good poem by my standards. However, I wrote in an age - 1998 or thereabouts - when I was much more verbose and prolix in my writing... which is not necessarily a good or a bad thing, but it makes for slightly heavier reading.)

When my performance goes from bad to worse,
People tend to drown me with words.
They say I lack inspiration,
That I can't achieve anything without perspiration,
That hard work is the key to success,
With emphasis on thoroughness.
There should be no room for complacency,
And I must strive to attain competency.

With repetition bordering on platitude,
I am told to drop my casual attitude,
And change my outlook in general,
Or it's going to be my funeral.
So where did I go wrong?
The question bewilders me for long.
Eventually I shrug my shoulders,
And telling myself it's a rock, not a boulder,
I made one mistake, so what,
Let me give it another shot.

It is called the law of averages,
That somehow life manages
To make you succeed at last
When it seemed to be heading nowhere and fast.
Suddenly you're back at the top,
But remember it wasn't a lollipop.
People may shower lavish praise,
You feel like the most important person in the place,
But you know it's an established fact
That fate's made a tacit pact
And applause is ephemeral
Sound as well as noise is measured in decibels.

I heard a great man say,
‘Every dog has it's day’.
So if someone drowns you with words,
Whether it's sweet like the birds
Or acrid like smoke,
Pretend it was the wall that spoke.
So remember what I said,
Let not success go to your head,
Do not take failure to heart,
And if you are smart,
Behind you, you would not glance.
Leave nothing to chance,
Be meticulous, diligent and systematic,
Success is not automatic,
But always do your best,
And safe in that knowledge you can rest-
No matter what the outcome,
There's another day to come.