I’ve received some good advice on the topic of failure, probably for the best that I received this advice prior to actually accomplishing my first university failure. Unofficial anatomy marks went up last week, and realistically, not even a curve can save me–I got an F.
The word failure, though, to me implies that I didn’t try my best. That I didn’t work hard and that I didn’t engage as deeply as I could. That I didn’t work for it. And I worked for it. I worked for the 37% that I got. I did two tutoring sessions a week for a month. I did hours of revision and notes. I consumed a ton of iced coffee [caffeine doesn’t do much for me, so this was purely to add some joy to the agony within the form of a venti iced white mocha].
And fortunately, as it always seems to cycle back to all of Jay’s words in Physical Activity: Promotion and Adherence: I am more than my grades, and my grades do not define who I am as a person. And at least I know 37% more for when I re-engage in the journey of anatomy for September.
Experience is what you get, when you didn’t get what you wanted.
Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
Experience. I got it.
Word.
Word! 😀
Yeah, unfortunately society (or at least the part I belong to) is so darn academic driven. Took me a while to realize that grades in a particular course don’t mean much in the grand scheme of practical knowledge for life. And good job on your optimism! Yeah! Next time you only have to learn 2/3 of the material 😛
Exactly! Also helps that the guy who now teaches physiology failed anatomy his first round too–and he’s getting a PhD in Kin. So I’m certainly not hopeless :].
I love how you can see that you tried your best and that failure doesn’t define you. You will try again… maybe more than once… and you will succeed because you have determination.
Hi Bea! Thanks for this! It was something I fortunately figured out before I got the grade, and I was pretty positive I failed, so I think having that mental preparation. I think the coolest thing was, was that more people instead of just saying “that sucks”, were like “how are you feeling about it?”. Because really, it doesn’t matter that it sucks, it does suck, but it matters what my perceptions about it are. :]