We grow up with the idea that failure is bad. As children and teenagers we are afraid to fail. We follow the expected path and do as we're told and live the life we always expected we would, because we're afraid to do something else, with the risk of a bad ending. But why?
Obama promotes change and Americans love it. We like to say change is good. But how are we supposed to really change, as individuals, or as a nation if we don't experience failure?
Today I may or may not have failed my first test. To be completely honest I did a lot of guessing and it could have worked out in my favor or I could have done horribly. Only time will tell. The weird thing is I'm in a great mood. I feel relieved. I walked outside of my test building interested in what the weather and what was going on around me and mostly excited to start working on something new. But let's go back to the test for a minute. I've had a bad attitude about this class since day 2. My mother, the CPA, didn't approve of how I was being taught accounting in school and because I trust her opinion, I didn't consider the class worthy of my time. I could not tell you what was being taught in class for the past 4 weeks, nor did I read the notes or really even follow along. Let's fast forward: it's 24 hours before the test and I'm freaking out that I'm unprepared. Little do I know how unprepared I really am, seeing as I learned pretty much nothing the past month and 24 hours is not enough time for a girl to learn 8 chapters of basic Financial Accounting. I studied as much as I could, skipped half of my classes and didn't pay attention to the classes I went to, learned a little, got to the test and did what I could. By no means did I feel confident about my answers but I felt confident that I did what I could and that was that.
Failure forces you to grow up. I'm a decently smart kid and a fast learner so I never really had a problem with studying before because I didn't need to do much of it to get grades I was happy with. Granted, I also usually pay attention in class. Then came the infamous second semester slump - it exists and it is very real. My motivation has been at an all time low and although I've been focused it's been on Netflix and extracurricular activities more than anything else and as a result, I bombed my Basic Accounting midterm. More than anything else it was a wake up call; a reminder that good grades and knowledge don't just come to you - they're things you have to work for. I thought I would come out of the exam room depressed about an awful grade and demotivated but I've never felt a stronger desire to get ahead again and start studying earlier - I want to change and I know what changes need to be made; something I would not have felt had I not failed. If I had managed to cram last minute and get by with a good feeling about a good grade nothing would have changed; the procrastinating would have continued and the hatred towards that class probably would have as well. It's ironic because I see the class as a weed-out; one to test whether or not students are really Kelley material. The funny part is I'm a candidate for direct admission into the Kelley Honors Program and a direct admit to the Kelley School. Now it's time to take my failure and change it around so I can prove to myself and Kelley that I deserve to be there. Point is, stop being afraid to fail, you never know what good will come of it.
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