Assignment 26A - Celebrating Failure

1. Tell us about a time this past semester that you failed -- whether in this class, or outside of this class. Don't spare any details! It'd be even better if there was something you tried several times this semester, and failed each time.
• Accounting. So for those of you who didn’t know, I am an Accounting major. I am in the last stretch of impossibly hard classes and had major anxiety going into it because of poor performance in the prerequisites. I prepared heavily for the first exam that fell the day after my 21st birthday (I had family fly in from Seattle and didn’t celebrate because I was studying) and ended up with a failing grade. 
• I figured I had three more exams, so put in all my effort again for the next exam to get even a worse score (and I had felt more prepared for it than the first one). At this point, I was starting to spiral because I had a lot riding on passing this semester. For instance, I have changed my major 4 times before finding one that I could actually see myself doing AND I have an internship lined up for next summer which is contingent on passing the classes I am enrolled in right now. 
• I am not easily discouraged, but what do you do when your best is not enough? 
2. Tell us what you learned from it. 
•  Interestingly enough, the turning point for me this semester was when I accidentally started crying during office hours. I went to see my accounting professor about how I could change my study habits to maybe improve my grade, and when we could come up with nothing to help me, tears involuntarily welled in my eyes. It was the following conversation with him that gave me perspective. What is the worst thing that could happen if I failed? What is the worst thing that would happen if I had to change my plans? 
• It was that conversation that gave me the insight that I needed. I learned that not every plan goes accordingly and that’s okay. 
3. Reflect, in general, on what you think about failure. Failure is hard, isn't it? It's embarrassing, sure, but it also means that we have to change something about ourselves. Talk about how you handle failure (emotionally, behaviorally). Finally, talk about how this class has changed your perspective on failure -- are you more likely to take a risk now than you were just a few months ago? 
• I think that failure is inevitable. My way of handling failure is to plan for the worst case scenario. If you knew me at all, you would know that not only do I have a plan A, but a plan B through Z. I also have been told that the best thing to do is “fail hard, fail fast.” That is something I keep in mind every day. It is best to fail now and learn from mistakes/experiences because we are young and have less to lose. That being said, it is a learning process and I am no pro at handling failure.
• This class has changed my perspective on failure in the sense that it taught me how to minimize risk, if I had to risk something. For instance, if I decide to follow through on my venture, it taught me that increasing my social capital will ensure that I won’t make the same mistakes that other entrepreneurs do.