Celebrating Failure

1) Tell us about a time this past semester that you failed -- whether in this class, or outside of this class. Don't spare any details! It'd be even better if there was something you tried several times this semester, and failed each time.

Something that I failed at this semester would have to be business finance. I thought it was just "another class" that was purely hyped up in terms of difficulty. As it turned out, the class was even more challenging than I had originally anticipated. And although I had aced the quizzes and kept up with the weekly readings we were assigned, I still ended up having to drop the class due to failing the first exam...horribly.

2) Tell us what you learned from it.

I learned two things from that experience: repetition and being organized are two essential keys to success. Its not enough to just read something once or watch a lecture and assume that you "got it." It takes repeated efforts to make sure you understand the subject thoroughly. As the TAs and the professor himself mentioned, practice, practice, practice, and then...practice some more. I disregarded that advice and, consequently, I paid the price by having to withdraw. Being organized is more than nailing the due dates of assignments and not looking back. It's about the steps you take in order to become knowledgeable and prepared. In hindsight, I was in disarray as I tried to cram my studying in for not just business finance, but for my other classes, too. This meant that I wasn't able to put forth my full effort into my assignments as I was forced to pick and choose which assignments were top priority. This, needless to say, lead to undesirable results and further pushed me to drop the course.

3) Reflect, in general, on what you think about failure. Failure is hard, isn't it? It's embarrassing, sure, but it also means that we have to change something about ourselves. Talk about how you handle failure (emotionally, behaviorally). Finally, talk about how this class has changed your perspective on failure -- are you more likely to take a risk now than you were four months ago?

Failure is a tough pill to swallow, but it truly does help at causing you to evaluate ways in which you could avoid repeating the same mistakes twice. In addition, it's humbling and requires you to approach a situation in a more open-minded way. For example, Thomas Edison discovered one way in which he could light a bulb. But the history of lightbulbs doesn't end there. In other words, its important to approach situations with an inclusive mindset.

Honestly, I don't handle failure well. I'm my own worst enemy, so I harshly criticize myself when I fail. It forces me to reevaluate my priorities, and also, causes me to think about ways in which I save myself from the embarrassment of failure. By taking this class, I've learned to take more risks and to be more confident.

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