Missed Shots Lead to Success by Hannah

Missed Shots Lead to Success by Hannah - February 2014 Scholarship Essay

“I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed,” said Michael Jordan, basketball legend, after losing an important game. This quote has major significance for me and I try to live by this quote. In my opinion, nobody ever accomplished anything worthwhile without sacrificing a little self-pride, time, and courage.

Michael Jordan said it perfectly. Nothing meaningful ever comes quickly, and this is an underlying message in Jordan’s quote. Even though he is one of the best known basketball players of all time, he has still missed points. However, that never stopped him from putting the time and effort into his passion and career. Even after putting in the practice time, chances are you aren’t going to be perfect at your sport or hobby. By taking time to perfect a skill, your chances of missing shots and goals are slimmer, but still likely. And the possibility of missing those shots makes you a more determined and better player.

There have been plenty of times in my life when things haven’t gone exactly how I pictured them. I have failed, been let down, and made mistakes. At the time, those mistakes seemed like the end of the world. But after taking a few steps back, I realized that those mistakes were all lessons and they helped me to become a more confident and skilled person. At 16 years old, I worked hard to become a certified lifeguard and got a job at a very popular water park. On any given summer day, my coworkers and I served more than 15,000 guests. Some visitors didn’t know how to swim, some were rude and others were simply not paying attention. It was my job to assure their safety. I had hoped to be selected to be a lead lifeguard in my second season, but was not chosen. I was so disappointed, and felt that I had failed. However, I later realized that I still had skills to learn and that being the lead had many downsides. I continued to do my best that season keeping children safe.

I plan to go through the remainder of my life with the confidence that failure is only an opportunity for improvement. If my fashion designs don’t take off, I’ll reinvent. If my ideas aren’t always received with open minds, I’ll rethink. I plan to use every mistake to better myself, to learn and grow.

Sometimes, we have to put our fears behind us and just go for something. Every attempt isn’t always going to turn out perfectly, but will always improve you as a player, as a college student, as a fashion designer, as a person. By having courage to take chances, your opportunity to succeed in everything improves.

Jordan states “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” For every door that closes, a window opens, and to every negative there is a positive. If there were no failures, there would be no improvements. Jordan’s quote inspires me because it shows me that even with failures, success is possible. Failures and mistakes are learning opportunities, and only make you a better person as long as you are willing to persevere.