26A - Celebrating Failure
Let's celebrate failure today.
Example of Failure
Last week I experienced failure. This failure was an “I wish I could go back in time” type of failure. I thought it would be a good idea to carry my apartment key in my cloth phone cover while I went for a 3.5 mile run. I always run with a phone cover to protect my phone from sweat, since I hold it in my hand to run. I have yet to buy an armband for it, and I genuinely prefer holding it in my hand. This wasn’t a problem until, 2 miles into my run, I realized the key was missing from the phone cover. Panic-stricken, I immediately turned around and made my way back home, all while scanning the ground I previously ran. It’s hard to search the ground amidst leaves and debris while jogging for 2 miles. I made it all the way back to the apartment without luck. In a frenzy, I decided to head back and walk the path I ran from the beginning. Lo and behold-- I found the key! It was laying in the middle of the sidewalk I ran on before starting the trail. Overall, I consider this to be a fail for losing the key and wasting time and energy worrying about finding the key again. I should’ve been more clever and put the key somewhere I could return to after the run...which is essentially what I do now, so I never have to worry about losing the key out on the trail again.
What I Learned
I learned that sometimes I don’t think before I act. There is always a smarter, more clever way of doing something. If I want to get ahead of the “curve”, I need to practice coming up with smarter, more clever modes of solving problems and improving in efficiency.
What I Think About Failure
I think failure is an opportunity to learn. Failure is also a strong indicator that a combination of choices will never work out for your benefit. Since you now know (after failing) that what you initially tried was not successful, you can try other attempts at accomplishing a task, solving a problem, etc. that you haven’t tried before, and be one closer to success.
Hi Jenna,
ReplyDeleteGood thing you dropped the key on the sidewalk and not in the leaves. You might not have found it in the leaves. I think a lot of people probably don't think before they act and there are ways to solve problems after the fact. I agree with you that failure is an opportunity to learn and gives you the answers as to what will and what won't work.
Nice Post!
Jenna, glad to hear that you were able to find your apartment key. I know the feeling of retracing your steps to find something you dropped. It's such a hassle and a waste of time when you have to turn back around while paying extra attention to the ground to look for an item. I think investing in an arm band or shorts/pants with pockets to put your phone would be a good idea, even though you said you like holding your device.
ReplyDeleteMichelle Lam
Good job! I like the simplistic type of failure that almost anyone can relate to. It’s really unfortunate that you had to run back to get them, and it’s great that you found them. I’m not entirely sure how the last two sentences of your lesson connect with it, but if it works for you that’s great. I probably would have concluded that I need to check my phone for my key, or just buy a new cover, or something to hold a key.
ReplyDeleteHi Jenna!
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to say that I have definitely experienced this before and did not find my key so I understand your feelings of frustration when describing what happened. This type of failure I agree comes from a lack of forethought but is also something we improve as we mature and grow as adults. The amount of minuscule mistakes made tends to decrease as our responsibility increases.