26A - Celebrating Failure

1) Tell us about a time this past semester that you failed 

This past semester I've experienced my fair share of failure both inside and outside the classroom.

Within ENT3003, there were several times where I missed an assignment due date. I think it was because I underestimated the class. Originally, I thought keeping up with a blog would be a simple task. However, I often found myself in situations where I would either forget to write a post or stress out on a Friday night trying to write all of my blog posts at once. Each time this would happen, I would make a promise to myself that I wouldn't make the same mistake the next week and that I would complete the assignments once they were released. Yet, I failed to uphold this promise to myself multiple times throughout the semester, and my grade has likely suffered because of it.

I've experienced failure outside of the classroom as well. This semester was a stressful period because I've been applying to companies to find a summer internship. I've managed to lock down a few interviews, but I've yet to receive anything positive from any of the companies I've applied to. It's a difficult period filled with self-doubt and worry, but I'm determined not to give up.


2) Tell us what you learned from it.  

From my failures within ENT3003, I've learned the importance of being proactive and managing time. I would have missed assignments less frequently had I planned ahead and budgeted time earlier in the week to complete blog posts. I've also learned that I tend to underestimate tasks that I think are easy, and that I leave these tasks on the back-burner of my mind until the last minute. 

From my failures outside of the classroom, I've learned a lot about myself and the way that I present myself to other people. Specifically, I need to improve my engagement within an interview setting. Additionally, I've learned the importance of never giving up - my performance in every interview is better than the last, and I know that I'll eventually land an internship with this trend in improvement. 


3) Reflect, in general, on what you think about failure. 


I've never been the type of person that takes failure to heart. For example, I never try to beat myself up for my shortcomings, and I always try to view every failure as a learning experience. Of course, each failure stings in the beginning, but I've learned over the years to view failure as inspiration to improve. This class has definitely made me realize that my mindset on failure is healthy and productive.