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 went skiing and snowboarding in Blackcomb Whistler, Canada with my family for spring break.  Now I have been skiing since I was four years old and my parents were skiing with me in-between their legs; but this was my first time snowboarding in years.  The last time I went snowboarding I was about 7 and ended up walking down the last part of the mountain at the end of the day because I was so tired of falling.  I am a good surfer and wake boarder so I was determined to teach myself how to not just snowboard but to also keep up with my dad who enjoys flying down the mountain (as do I).  It was the first day in the fresh powder of western Canada and I didn't fall just a few times.  I spent countless times pushing myself up the hard packed snow and brushing off the fresh wet powder from my jacket and gloves.  I was about to say I guess snowboarding isn't for me. But then I changed my mindset.  I said come on Neatrour and focused in more on my mechanics and feeling the shift in weight of my board.  By day 3 I was going down black diamonds and keeping right up with my dad on skis.  

2) Tell us what you learned from it.  

     I learned the value of concentration and focus on the task at hand.  There have been countless other times in academics and athletics where I take a deep breath, zero in on the task at hand, and perform significantly better.  My balance from surfing, wake boarding, and wake surfing helped with picking up snowboarding more quickly.

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 four months ago? 

     Failure makes us feel horrible.  Nobody wants to fail or chooses to fail.  Failure gives us an opportunity to reflect on how to improve.  Personally, I tend to pay closer attention to my failures that my achievements.  On exams I rarely forget the concepts to questions I've missed in the past as I focus more on those concepts that I missed so I won't miss them again. I use my failures to motivate me to set higher goals for myself.  I believe I am more likely to take a risk now than I was a few months ago.  I have always been a bit of a risk-taker but this class has helped me with broadening the way I look at small concepts and simple daily things.