Failure is something that every single person has experienced. Whether it be a CEO, an athlete, a student, or anyone else, we all have failed at something. The act of failing itself is not fun at all. However, when you break the meaning down, it’s not as bad as it seems. By my definition, failure is when you don’t reach a specific goal or finish a task up to a certain standard. You will still achieve something, just not the thing you were aiming for. It seems unnecessary and painful, but nothing can be accomplished without it.
In my year and a half in college, I’ve had to learn to deal with failures with difficult classes and projects. It has been tough at times, but I’ve been able to take some key points from them. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to never make the same mistake twice. Learn from what you did wrong or what went wrong the first time, and look out for the same mistakes the next time around. We can call it failure, but they are more learning experiences than anything else. Failure means you’re getting there, that you’re on the way to reach your goals. Yes, there will be bumps in the road, but they will toughen you and help build character in the process. A good way to deal with failure is to take a deep breath, evaluate what happened, recognize that change is needed, and then move on. If you stay stuck on the errors or get too down on yourself, it will discourage you from trying again or moving forward. I recognize that this is easier said than done, but this process is essential to becoming successful in what you chose to pursue.
In all honesty, I wish no one failed. It’s terrible to see someone close to you work hard for something and not achieve it. Believing in them, however, and encouraging them to try again is more powerful than anything else. Without failure, no success or progress is possible. If we were all afraid of trying again, the world would stop. Keep trying, keep your head up, and keep moving forward. You’re on your way.