26A - Celebrating Failure

One memorable time this semester in which I failed is when myself and my roommates had to move apartments. Our apartment complex was doing a renovation so, at some point throughout the year, each individual apartment would have to move out to allow for the renovations to happen. During this, I tried to find a way to move all of my items faster to ensure a quicker and easier move. While doing this, I tried to improvise new ways and devices of carrying large objects, such as making baskets and containers out of items that were not designed to do this. Doing this however wasted a ton of time, and during the first trip while moving the bottom of the first 'basket' fell out and all of my items were strewn across the lawn. However, I still kept trying to figure out ways to help me move, and none of them worked to the extent that I hoped. I learned that sometimes it is easier to not try and find shortcuts and to just put your head down and get the task done. Failure can be hard at times, but it is always an opportunity to learn from. Failure can show the flaws in the plan that was developed, and how to make it better the next time. This class has shown to me that failure is not necessarily the worst outcome. While success is always the best course, failure can also show flaws in the mindset going into the activity, and it can also be a roadmap to success the next time.