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The importance of overcoming failure
The importance of overcoming failure
The importance of overcoming failure
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Essay prompt: Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn? It is strange to think that failures can sometimes bring about the fondest memories and enrich conversations with the most amusing tales; as if the disastrous set of circumstances that provoked frustration and annoyance to the highest degree is to be considered a good thing, and that the severe discomfort or pain that came about from a failed event will bring joy and contentment. Many individuals who have experienced failure are not usually overjoyed or content with their current state of affairs, at least when caught in the moment, and yet, following their trials – many years afterward – they can be surprisingly enthusiastic about sharing their experience. A most amusing collection of failures occurred when I was around age fourteen: after exhausting my family’s supply of batteries to power my electronic projects, I decided that there was no time to waste in designing and building my own power supply, the outcome of which proved to be an invaluable and rat...
My biggest accomplishment throughout high school so far has been learning how to fail. Not necessarily falling flat on my face in a viral video, but instead just barely coming up short and not being able to reach a goal, despite my best efforts. Although I was unaware of it at the time, failing my driver’s test on my first attempt would become a life altering incident.
In Failure Is a Good Thing, author Jon Carroll refers to failure as a learning experience. Carroll explains that failure is needed for growth, that failure may keep a person “on their toes” so that they may never get too comfortable with what they are doing. He also goes on to state that failure is something that we should all strive for, ironically, in order to feel a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Carroll refers to his family, his friends, and his own experiences with failure and how they solidify his beliefs. Jon talks about his job as a columnist and how every week someone’s column has to be the lesser column.
Failure to me was the position I was stuck in as a little girl, my family was stuck with little resources and stayed in the same neighborhood. In order for my expectations of my life to be where they are at now, they required me to live with that failure.
Failure, the lack of success, the omission of expected action, is present in everyone’s life. It is that sinking feeling in your gut that doesn’t go away until you go home to wish it away with simple lively pleasures. This disappointing feeling doesn’t leave me at all, unfortunately. Defeat stares me in the face from my trashcan to the small bits of shredded paper scattered across my floor. There are occasional times where I see my misery resting on top of my bookshelf, demanding to be taken care of. The cause for this negative feeling is very simple, yet very complex. Origami has caused me more emotional pain than a failing class, yet more joy results from it than getting a new puppy.
The novel Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure, written by Tim Harford, is based around how one can achieve success in a unique way, through failure. Throughout the novel he teaches us powerful ways to tackle issues or problems that are thought to be unconquerable. His argument is based around one key word, Adapt. Harford reveals countless examples of failures and successes but most importantly, analyzes the practices that were used to achieve the results. The novel starts off by describing how complicated the world we live in today is. This chapter was the reason I remained engaged in the entire novel up to the very last word. He tells
Estrem, Pauline. "Why Failure Is Good for Success." Thesis. N.d. (n.d.): n. pag. SUCCESS. Success Magazine, 2013. Web. 02 Jan. 2014
7.4.4 The indirect relationship, through the monitoring mechanism, between failure in 1.8 information systems and failure in another nine accreditation outcomes
It was a cold, dark morning when the phone rang. It was boisterously loud and the clock read six o'clock. The deafening noise jolted us again, and there was only one way to make it stop. Chris picked up the phone and in a tired, drowsy voice, answered, "Hello."
Someone, long ago, told me if you tried hard enough, you would succeed. That person was wrong. Even if you try your best and you pour everything into something, it might still fail. Failure is an interesting thing. We talk about the successes.
Failure can cause a torrent of mixed emotions and thoughts. One can begin to doubt their motives for even attempting to succeed at a certain task. Some people may choose to give up after failure, but there are a select few who rise up to the occasion and move forward to try and succeed no matter how many tries it takes. By overcoming those difficult moments in life, it gives a person a sense of accomplishment and pride and that alone is a beautiful thing.
In my first years of life, I was the diva. I was the star. I was the only one that my mother ever paid any attention to. I was the bomb. Although my father worked very long days to provide my mother and me with a means of sustenance, there was plenty of love from my mom to nurture me as I grew into a bubbly young girl. Entering kindergarten at 4 years of age, I was similar to every other little kid. I was rambunctious, playful, naughty, and unstoppable. If I did not fall sleep in class, I would play with my dolls as the teacher lectured. Sure enough, I was reprimanded and given “time out” every time. But it was all right. My grades were average but I scored high enough to please my parents.
Failure is apart of life, it can make or break a person. When a person experiences a type of failure it is now up to them to see how they respond. They can choose the high road, and become a stronger person for it. Then they can choose the low road, the easy way out. The easy way out is never a good choice. It can lead only to destruction. The high road is the right choice to take when responding to failure. It will lead down a path of success. Jessica Lahey’s article, “When Success Leads to Failure” is an article that shows how kids are experiencing failure. Lahey says that, “these kids have a fear for failure, and that they have given up natural loves for learning. They are scared of not being successful”(Lahey). The truth is life is hard there will be failure. There is nothing in this world that comes easy to anyone.
People usually afraid of failure because they tried to do something and failed, or took a risk and it didn’t pay off, or made a decision and it turned out to be the wrong one. That fear of failure create the stress and anxiety when people want to do something hard or try something new. Just because you tried something two or three time and failing does not mean the entire idea is a mistake. Do you expect to get a Blackjack on every game that you played? That would be an impossible thing to do. There is no success that comes without failure, where failure is experiences and lessons that help you to perfect your works. People should overcome their fear of failure and use failure as a tool to work toward their success because failing is so important
An incident where I have experienced failure would be when I didn't get a passing score for my Advanced Placement exams. I studied for long periods of time on topics that would appear on the test. I also reviewed over the materials multiple times to help increase my chances of passing. It was approximately three weeks later, when I found out my official score and how I did overall on the exam. I concluded that I didn't meet the requirements to obtain a passing score. I could only take one test per subject so that meant no retakes.
Failure. What is it to you? For me, failure is the lack of change when I make a mistake. My third grade teacher, Mr. Ramirez, had used the quote “Un error es uno que no se no corrigen,” through the school year, but I never understood what it meant. On the last day, Mr. Ramirez explained the phrase as “A mistake is only a mistake if you do not fix it.” I didn’t really see its importance on that day, but by the end of fifth grade, and I was getting ready to leave elementary school, I realized the significance of Mr. Ramirez’s proverb.