Failure is NOT an option! But it should be.
Written by Rudhra Persad on behalf of RU Student Life.
I failed out of University when I was in my early 20's. I felt ashamed, I felt I let my family down and thought I failed because I was stupid.
If I had finished that degree, I would probably be working in the field I went to school for and I would be MISERABLE!
The field I went to school for was not the right fit, the institution I went to was not the right fit and I don’t think I was mature enough to be in post secondary straight out of high school.
If that hadn’t happened though, I would never have discovered my passion for working with youth or the love that I now have for education. I was fortunate enough to discover my passion for education by completing the award winning Spanning the Gaps program in the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education and I am now working towards my degree in the Arts and Contemporary Studies program in the Faculty of Arts.
The obsession with perfection and the trope that perfection = success needs to be challenged. Cultivating a culture where making mistakes is a function of learning is crucial. As students, we can connect with mentors, supports and inspirational quotes all we want but at some point we are going to have to try things ourselves.
If we are given the space and support to make mistakes and reflect on the learning gained from the mistakes, maybe we won’t make those mistakes again. Even if we do make mistakes, if they don’t result in punitive measures we can learn without shame and feeling we’ve let people down.
This is not an excuse to not put in effort or not deliver quality work. This is quite the opposite, when we care enough to push ourselves and experiment and attempt to innovate some things are gonna work and some won’t.
And that’s ok.
The key is to identify what worked and what didn’t work and to KEEP TRYING!
Involvement in volunteer student initiatives and groups, student life programs and work study positions are an excellent way to try different things, make mistakes and learn from them to keep growing and developing strengths and skill sets.
By starting a student initiative here at Ryerson University I have learned so much that is applicable in the work I do as well as with my volunteer commitments and my participation on a few other committees that I have the privilege to be a part of. I have made tons of mistakes. I still make mistakes but I try to not beat myself up when I make them while still owning the mistake. It’s hard and some days are easier than others but every time I do, I learn so much. I’ve also been really lucky to have some super duper advisors, mentors and supervisors along the way, to help guide me to this mindset. Luckily, I’ve found a lot of people willing to be these kinds of guides here at Ryerson, I just needed the courage reach out to them. Sometimes people don’t have the time, which I get but I don’t let that stop me trying to find those opportunities for guidance.
It’s tough sometimes to keep going when you feel you have failed but failure is not the end of the world, if you rethink how you handle failure you can come back stronger and better prepared for other situations you may face.
Failure does not have to be the “F” word we make it out to be if we can change our mindset to make failure an option.
Rudhra is the winner of the Arts and Contemporary Studies first year student award currently in his 2nd year of the program in the Faculty of Arts. He is also the Principal founder of Suit Up for Success, a student initiative that was part of the team that brought the Ashoka Changemaker Campus designation to Ryerson University. Rudhra is registered with the Access Centre as a student with ADHD and multiple learning disabilities and is also a proud husband and father. Follow him @Rudhra_P
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