Assignment 26: 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 had heard that Marketing was not as easy as people suspected it to be, so I came into the class being mentally prepared for it to be more difficult than I had originally suspected. However, I was not prepared for failing to meet my own expectations.

·      I had expected for the class to require more of my time and effort, so I was prepared to accept that I would need to study more in order to keep an acceptable grade in the class. I always try to aim for an A, and when that’s not what I get, I’m usually disappointed in myself. However, I also came into the class being prepared to possibly get a low B, which I believed to be the lowest grade I’d allow myself to get. However, I was in for some hard truths and lessons.

·      The days before my first exam were extremely stressful for me. I was studying for my accounting exam which I knew I had to dedicate more time to and I also had something going on in my personal life which put me in a low point. I was worried for marketing, since I was not in the right headspace to focus ,but I pushed forward and studied and took some practice exams. The day of the exam I felt that if I had begun studying earlier, I could have done better, but I still felt pretty confident. I was hoping I would get a high B, although I was suspecting a low B…but I ended up getting neither. Instead, I got a C+.

·      I was not entirely shocked, I recognized that I could’ve studied more and that I had earned that grade fair and square and so that’s what stuck with me. I was ready to earn a higher grade, and I knew that if I put my all into this next exam, I could even get an A. So, from that day onward I started preparing for my next exam.

·      I reserved a room to study every day where I would dedicate at least an hour to read my marketing book and take notes. I did that every day and told myself that I’d do every single practice exam that my teacher posted throughout the last week leading up to my exam – and so I did.

·      My first two practice exams I got a C and then a C+, then a B, another B, a B+ …. Finally, I got to my goal, an A! It was the day before my exam and my last practice exam! I felt so incredibly proud of myself. I felt accomplished and ready to ace my test. I took my exam and although it was harder than all the practice tests, I had taken I still felt that I had gotten a great grade.

·      Finally, my teacher posted the results. This time I was completely shocked. I had gotten a lower grade than in my first exam. I couldn’t believe it, I was so upset, I was frustrated, confused, and outright disappointed. I had studied so much and been so responsible and this is what I got, a C-!? I was in denial, there must have been a mistake, but there wasn’t. For the first time I had to listen to my own advice.

2)    Tell us what you learned from it.

and

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 always say that “if you did everything you could, were responsible and wise with your time, no matter what the outcome is, you should be proud of yourself”. With my exam result this was a hard thing to accept, even though I always thought I believed in my words wholeheartedly. I had done everything, and I knew I had taken action after my first exam. It took me a few days to realize that I could not blame myself. If I had started studying the day before, been going out days before the exam, binged a series on Netflix instead of doing the practice exams then I definitely should have felt disappointed and upset with myself. But it was unfair to blame myself after putting in 100%.

·      So, this is what I learned about failure: it’s going to happen. You can do your best to avoid it but sometimes it’s just going to happen and that is totally okay. What is important is that I cannot let failure define me. After this event, I decided that failing was not an outcome, failing came before the outcome. Failing, is not trying your best. Failing is a moment, a choice, not a state.

·      When it comes to the idea of failure as an outcome, this class has reinforced the idea that failure is not bad, but rather that it is an opportunity to reflect and grow from.