The Perceived Fatality of Failure by Andrea

The Perceived Fatality of Failure by Andrea - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Based on my own personal experiences, one of the most valuable pieces of advice that I could provide to younger students would be to completely relinquish the perceived permanence that is mistakenly and commonly associated with failure. Failure is not fatal, nor it is permanent. As a student, I have made the common and hurtful mistake of allowing failure to define my self-worth and intelligence. It is important that younger students do not fall into this self-destructive habitat. After many years and episodes dealing with failure, I have discovered the primary purpose of failure: to serve as a catalyst that accelerates improvement. Younger students should banish the concept that each episode of failure is permanent.
While failure may unfortunately occur on multiple incidents, or more than one desires, it is important that younger students develop the mindset that allows them to perceive failure with unparalleled optimism. Failure is not a mode of measurement; instead, it is the following resilience accompanying the occurrence of failure that accurately measures a student’s determination and perseverance to succeed, regardless of the obstacles they may encounter through failure. I would tell younger students that it is completely acceptable to experience disappointment after the onset of failure; however, it is unacceptable to allow to implications of your failure to complete manipulate your perception of yourself. Based on your perspective, the function of failure can either be a hindrance or a motivator. When viewing failure, younger students must learn to develop the advantageous and beneficial perspective that the severity of each failure is high contingent on the student’s attitude.
Younger students must befriend failure. The concept and severity of failure is entirely self-manifested. Although some shortcomings may result in a greater magnitude of perceived failure, younger students possess complete and thorough control of what they perceive as failure. As a high school senior who has received an overwhelmingly amount of college rejection letters, for a few weeks the line, “We regret to inform you…” was burned into my memory. I interpreted my rejections as permanent failure, and I made the amateur mistake of allowing failure to critically redefine who I was as a student. The most important habit younger students can allow themselves to fall into would be eliminate the fatality accompanying failure and utilize every failure as an opportunity towards growth.