Celebrating Failure

This past semester, I had my first experience with dropping a course because I was not likely to receive a passing grade. I did not pass the first exam, and it was hard to accept the grade that I received. I have never had any issues passing a course, so this was a new feeling to me. Initially, I was extremely disappointed and upset with myself. After the first exam, I purchased more study materials and prepared more thoroughly to take the test. I received a grade that was just as low on the second exam. I genuinely thought that I knew the material well enough to earn a higher grade. When I realized that I would probably not pass the second exam, I decided to drop the course.

The decision to drop the course was pretty overwhelming at first, but I knew I had to handle the situation. I was not the only person that this has ever happened to, and I needed to understand that. It was disappointing, yes, because it made me feel like I wasn't smart enough for the class. I had friends who were taking the class and doing really well, so that contributed to the disappointment. I learned that it is extremely important to understand that you cannot always be perfect in everything that you do. Not everyone can be the best at everything they try, and for some people that is a hard truth to accept.

Failure is definitely hard to accept, but failing is actually extremely easy. People fail every day, it's just a matter of how people handle it afterwards. It's important to learn from failure and understand that it is inevitable and happens to everyone. This class has helped me understand that there are tons of ideas and activities that are extremely easy to fail at. Simple things can sometimes be avoided, but the best way to handle failure is to accept and learn from it.