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. 

The time I failed this semester was in meeting the complete requirements for the assignments of the political science class I am taking. This happened on several occasions, where I did not dedicate the necessary time on assignments that would be needed to complete all of the requirements for the assignments on time. The failure was poor time management, both before the assignments and then while working on the assignments. 

2) Tell us what you learned from it. 

I learned both practical and theoretical ways to better manage time and to receive more motivation for working on assignments as soon as they are assigned. On the practical end, I learned I must start early working on assignments and limit the amount of distractions I have that come into my computer and phone. Now that most work is being done on computers during the quarantine, if my computer is not on do not disturb, I will be distracted by an incoming message or task that I am supposed to complete. Further, I should set a schedule to only work on the assignments one at a time. 

On the emotional end I should reflect on whether I enjoy what I am studying and working on. Not every assignment will be my favorite, but overall I should study and work in a field/major that I enjoy, so that I have a genuine desire to get working on the assignments. The reason I did not want to start working on the assignment was because I did not try to see how it was connected to something I was interested in. Also, I learned that I must go back to my overall purpose for doing anything I do. It is not just working on a homework assignment to complete it, but to complete a degree. And the purpose of earning a degree, for me, is to serve God as the Creator with my work. When I remember studying is another way I honor him as the Creator, as the God who saved me so that I may live, then I will be more motivated to finish for his sake. 

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 somewhat answered this in the second question. I think failure is hard because we desire to be perfect and failure reveals that we are not, thus confronting us with our weaknesses and making us vulnerable. Before I was a Christian, failure scared me and was something I tried to avoid in many respects. I was accepting of failure when it came to smaller, more business related goals, but when it came to my career, relationships, and self, things that I idolized and placed my identity in, I was unable to embrace failure in the healthy way people spoke of. In now being a Christian, I am able to embrace failure, knowing Jesus came and lived perfectly in my place, and because of him I am accepted and loved by God even through my failings. This new love has given me the power to want to improve those weaknesses out of a love for him as the Creator. And even when I do fail, the peace in knowing for sure that I will one day be restored to perfection, even though I don't deserve it (when God judges the world through Jesus). 

This class has definitely changed my perspective on failure. I think the style of the assignments, in how they encourage us to generate a lot of ideas for solutions and not care as much about the perfection of them has helped me see the value in starting with something that is flawed but is on the right track. I am more likely to take risks now, especially when trying solutions with organizations.