I read La La Anthony's The Power Playbook: Rules for Independence, Money, and Success and Chapter 6 discusses the Power of Failure. Often, failure come with shame, feelings of inadequacy, and a hit at our self-confidence. I remember the first time I failed an exam in college. It was Biology 1 during my freshman year first semester. I was distraught because this was the first time in my life where I failed a test and it hurt even more because I actually studied for it. #Blown
However, looking back, La La's 5 reasons why failure makes you powerful is spot on.
1. It teaches you about yourself. Failure was a great way to pinpoint what I needed to work on academically and mentally to be prepare for future tasks. It also made me do some soul searching to see if I wanted to help people through medicine or something else.
2. It shows you what doesn't work. After that exam, it was evident that I needed to change my study habits for the class. I signed up for peer tutoring on campus and asking for the help that I needed. Furthermore, I began frequently attending office hours for my classes (even the ones I wasn't failing) so that I could get a better understanding of the material from my professors.
3. It makes you stronger. I learned that I associated a lot of my self-worth with my academic achievements since school always came easy to me. It did not happen overnight, but this failure gave me the opportunity to see that I am worth more than my grades.
4. It gives you understanding and empathy. I gained a higher level of compassion for those who struggled academically.This helped tremendously later on when I became a high school tutor and a Teaching Assistant for General Chemistry 1 & 2.
5. It makes you better. I retook the class over the summer and received a B. Although it was not the A that I'd desired, I had a better grasp of the material, which helped me do well in Biology 2.
Throughout college, there can be tons of moments where you feel like you have failed. Whether it be in the classroom or socially, it's important to take that experience and grow from it. As the late Dr. Maya Angelou said -
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