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. 

I have always been an excellent student, passed tests, and never flunked a class. This semester along with two other classes, I am taking FIN3403 (Business Finance). I was told the class was difficult, just like Statistics for Business Decisions, so I thought since I got through that one pretty well that I would be able to get through Business Finance pretty well too. I was definitely in for a shock. My first failure was exam 1; my grade was not good at all. Therefore, for exam 2, I studied twice as hard, but my grade for that one turned out to be worse than the one I got for exam 1. For a person who does never have anything lower than a C+ on an exam, I was freaking out. Exam 3 would now determine whether I would have to retake Business Finance. So here I am, a day after taking my third exam and not feeling like I did well enough on it. I just hope I did enough this time. 

2) Tell us what you learned from it.  

I learned that we all do not be good at everything; there are always a few areas where we possibly lack. I learned that:

1.     Finance is not a field I am interested in or plan to pursue. 

2.     I never fail because I am not good enough, I am just better in some areas more than other areas. 

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 just a few months ago?

 

I think failure is hard; it is a hard thing to go through. Afterwards, you find yourself second-guessing everything. It is embarrassing. Personally, I do not handle failure well emotionally or behaviorally. Emotionally, I shut down; behaviorally, I isolate myself, I don’t talk much, and I’m pretty much just in my own head trying to figure out what went wrong, where I went wrong, and what I could have done differently. Failure is inevitable; eventually it is going to happen. My perspective on failure has not changed much, if any. The likelihood of me taking a risk is slightly higher than it was a few months ago. I think that if you have a good solid plan and the resources, you should go for it (that is in regards to anything). It is easier to say, “I’m glad I did” verses “I wish I would have tried”.