Failure is in Fact Important in Achieving Success by Olivia

Failure is in Fact Important in Achieving Success by Olivia - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

I believe the most important skill a student should learn and have is the ability to learn from failure. Many students become discouraged and feel beaten down when they fail at something. In order to be successful, you must first fail and learn from this failure to be able to do it right the next time and achieve success. It is important for students to learn this skill before they leave high school so they can face the real world with confidence and their head held high. The problem today is that society ridicules people for being wrong and failing when really people need to embrace their failure in order to achieve success! This is an important topic that I would like to give a speech about to a school-wide audience.
In my speech I would be sure to include real life examples of learning from failure. I am a diver for my school and there are many scenarios where I have failed and then learned from them. Diving is a tough sport, especially when you're first starting. As simple as learning a front flip sounds, it was far from it and came with literal bumps and bruises along the way. The first time I tried a front flip I landed flat on my back. I stepped out of the pool holding back tears because everything stung so badly and painful bruises were forming on my legs. I looked at my new coach and she said, “What are you waiting for? Get up there, and let's do it again!”
At the time I thought she was out of her mind. How could I possibly get back on that board knowing the exact same thing could happen again? I would soon learn this was the key, getting back up and trying again. So instead of giving up, I asked how to fix it; then I got up on the board, bursting with fear, to do it again. And again, and again. The amount of times I smacked decreased. I was getting stronger and more determined to do things the right way. Soon enough I had it; the dive was perfect. That feeling of nailing the dive after so much pain and hard work was like no other. I continued to try new dives and strive for that feeling of accomplishment because all the pain was worth it. I now understood what my coach was saying; I would fail, but I must learn from it and do it right the next time.
I continued to apply this state of mind to not only my dives but life as well. Diving is much like planning my future. At this point in my life I have big decisions to make. What school will I attend? What major will I study? What career should I pursue? These are all questions that diving has helped me to answer. I know that making these decisions may be nerve wracking, and there is always that voice in the back of my head saying you might fail or you might smack on this dive or hit the board, but I have to push those thoughts aside and take the chance. Staying focused on the end result of nailing that dive is the only way to succeed. I have to fully commit to a dive and trust that this thin board will bend and be flexible to get me where I need to be. The same applies in life; it takes focus and commitment to be successful.
Five years later and here I stand on the board, thinking about all I've learned. This is what I would like to give a speech about to a school-wide audience and hopefully inspire students to embrace failure and learn from it to be successful in life.