Failure. And why its important

This semester was going great, roughly until last monday. I took an organic exam that I had knowingly did poorly on. But here’s the thing, I could’ve prevented it.

Because I had so many projects and things going on during that time, I under prioritized sleep. I worked on a paper that morning instead of studying, where I could’ve taken a nap and been more coherent for the exam. As a result, I was relatively tired and unfocused during the exam which lead to several mistakes.

I also studied, but not nearly as much as I am capable of. I was unfocused and uninterested which was very unlike me and not up to my standards. This could have been prevented.

I didn’t fail. I got a B. But its not enough. Because I know I can do better. Because if I can tackle the difficult challenges in Rosetta, I can tackle a hard organic exam.

This failure was an important reminder to never let things get easy. I got comfortable and excited at the top, and this was false. You ALWAYS need to work as hard as you possibly can — no matter what, unquestionably.

Maybe things are less comfortable because I will have less leighway if I want to drop this exam. I will have to get As on the final exam and the 3rd exam. But its not just about the A — its about did I understand what I was doing. Thats what matters.

But more importantly, its an important lesson because I know and believe I can do better. Its not a global failure, but its an important reminder that I can be excellent always and must always remember and believe wholeheartedly in that.