26A- Celebrating Failure

There have been many times throughout my life where I have failed. Failure is just a part of life that brings us one step closer to our successes. For this assignment, I had to think about a time when I failed in the past semester.
     This past semester in Summer A, I was asked to join the University of Florida Food & Resource Economics Department's Academic Quiz Bowl team. This is an academic team that competes in a Jeopardy style game in the various categories of agricultural economics against other teams across the country. When I was asked about the opportunity, I was thrilled and I immediately agreed to join the team. I was nervous because I knew two of the individuals that were currently on the team, and I thought that they were way smarter than me. Upon going to the first practice and trying to show my knowledge, I was proven right. I failed miserably. I maybe knew two of the questions the entire practice, and the other team members were running circles around me, quickly answering the questions with precision. I felt very embarrassed.
     When the second and third practices came around, I was nervous but ready. I had been given a book to study which included all of the materials that we would need to know. Once again though, I was dominated at practice. Even though I had studied a little bit, it was no match for my team members, and I once again failed to prove that I was going to be a valuable team member. I was very discouraged. As the following weeks progressed, I continued to study the material and work towards catching up to the rest of the team. I continued to notice my inferiority at the practices, but I kept trying and trying. I studied and studied and studied some more. I skipped going out and partying on a few  weekends to focus on studying as well.
     It was not until two weeks ago at practice that I finally seen I was catching up. At practice, I was answering more and more questions, and it did not go unnoticed. My team members told me that they could tell that I had been studying and that I was certainly stepping up! Very similar to when someone notices your gains in the weight room, when others notice your progress, it gives you a certain stimulation to continue working even harder and that is what I have been doing! I have been studying harder than ever before. My first official competition is in two weeks, and I will be ready!

If there is anything that I have learned from this experience, it is that if you really want something, and you work hard enough towards it, you can achieve it. I have always been a fairly bright individual, graduating top ten in my class in high school, along with many other academic accomplishments. With that being said, when I got to UF, I learned that I was not nearly as smart as I thought I was.  I never imagined that I would be able to join an academic team. I also never thought I would be able to catch up  with my teammates once I joined the team.  But with a little bit of prioritizing and a lot of hard work, I was able to exemplify what my team needs from me.

This class has changed my view on failure because as we have read about various entrepreneurs and collaborated with one another, we see that failure is natural. Not only is failure natural, but in many cases, it is necessary for growth. If we went around through life and never failed, we would be arrogant and blind to many different aspects of our life. When we fail, it shows us what we are truly  made of. I have a short temper. And when I fail, I get very frustrated. It helps me become a better person when I fail because I learn to overcome my frustration and pursue my goal. I feel that I am definitely more willing now, at this point in my life, to take a risk. We cannot fear failure. In my eyes, I would rather look back on my life in twenty years and say, "well, at least I tried" than to look back on my life and ask "What if?"