Celebrating Failure
1. What is something that I have failed at this semester?
Something that I failed at this semester was avoiding procrastination. I have been procrastinating in school (in everything, to be exact) for as long as I can remember. This semester was my first semester at the University of Florida, so I decided to (try to) lose this bad habit. I started off the semester, as I always do, teeming with motivation. Unsurprisingly, I lost sight of my goals for the semester and I eventually reverted back to my default habits.
2. What have I learned from this?
I have learned from this semester that I need better reasons for why I want to achieve something. I need something that a can cling to in times of hardship throughout the semester. A reason that will weather the storm, not "because I wanna". My purpose needs to be impenetrable. This will allow me to succeed in my endeavors, instead of falling short. I have also learned to be okay with progress. This semester I procrastinated much less than I usually would, and I am grateful for that. I have learned that not achieving what you desire is not the same thing as complacency. All of this that I have learned this semester will support me in my future ventures.
3. What do I think about failure?
I have a horrible relationship with failure. I am terrified by it so I do everything in my power to avoid it. At times this is possible. When we do meet, I am sent spiraling into a dark place for a few days. I understand that I should look at failure differently. I am becoming better at understanding failure and using it to better myself. For me, I feel that this fear of failure comes from my unrealistic desire for perfection. When I avoid failure, I feel that I have done well. When I fail, I have to admit to myself that I am not perfect. I understand that there are better ways to deal with failure, I just have not gotten there yet.
Hey Cooper, really enjoyed reading your post. I think you did a great job at identifying a goal you've failed at and more importantly, identifying the reasons why you failed. This is a skill that not everyone possess and I believe it's so important you have because how can you become a better version of yourself without being able to identify your short comings? One thing I learned about failure, embrace it. I used to spiral like you as well and sometimes, it's still tough to see past that disappointment. But just remember , every time you fail, you didn't actually fail. You just learned another way not to do something.
ReplyDeleteHello, I think you did a great job with this assignment. This was by far one of my favorite assignments because we got to embrace our failures. I definitely procrastinated sometimes in this class as well. It is good that you can admit to your failures and then learn from them, that is the whole point of failure.
ReplyDeleteHey Cooper, I really enjoyed reading your blog post, and I thin you did a great job with this post and followed the assignment direction exactly how you were supposed to. I think you also chose a great topic to focus on as your failure because it is definitely something that everybody struggles with. I know I struggle with it for almost every assignment that I have due because I always tell myself I have more time. It was nice to read what you have learned from your experiences with it, great job!
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