Celebrating Failure

I failed a few times this past semester, in regard to this class specifically. Several of the assignments regarding interviews ended up not being completed, or not being completed to the fullest extent. I think the reason that I failed when attempting to complete these assignments ultimately boils down to the fact that I was very busy this summer, and I often did not take the time to plan to conduct interviews with random strangers on the street so that I could actually complete the assignment. I also think that the current area that I've been in for this summer, London, is not the location most conducive to conducting interviews with strangers for extended amounts of time. British people are often described as standoffish, and are not as readily willing to talk with a stranger, especially an American one. This combination of factors is what I believe led me to fail when attempting to complete these types of assignments.

Although I failed to complete several of the interview-based assignments, I still completed a couple of them and I learned a lot from the ones I actually did. Now that I have the opportunity to reflect on my failures, I learned that in the big picture for this class, missing a few assignments here and there aren't that big of a deal, especially when extra credit is factored in. However, I also know now that it is important to utilize time management skills when I'm assigned a lot of work in one week, and that completing them effectively and efficiently is a major key to success in this class.

I think that failure is a necessary and important part of learning and growing as a person. I used to think that failure was just a negative side-effect of improperly doing something, whether it be studying for a test, writing an essay, or losing a pickup game of soccer or football with friends. Now that I'm older, I view failure in a more positive light. Yes, I will admit that when I fail, I get disappointed and sometimes upset. However, I know that failure is learning what not to do in a situation, and it helps to make me smarter in my everyday life and the things that I do. I treat failure with respect and I know it's an important part of learning, but I still try to fail sparingly, as too much failure is a bad thing.