3 Reasons Why it’s OK for Students to Fail
Overcome your fear by failing, masterfully.
If you’ve ever failed a test before, you’re not alone. If you’ve ever missed a deadline, you’re not alone. If you’ve ever been speechless during a big presentation, you’re not alone.
Student-life is riddled with challenges and deadlines, and sometimes, failure happens. Though it may be hard to believe, the greatest success stories and achievements can stem from failing first. Here are 3 reasons why it’s OK for students to fail:
1. Failure Gives Direction for Improvement
Failure often has a negative connotation and can be interpreted as a step backward for many students. The inability to succeed immediately can prevent the exploration of new ideas, and end projects before they’ve even begun. There’s such an overwhelming pressure to succeed in our society, that it halts students and professionals alike from taking risks if they’re unsure of what the results will be. If failure is an option, why take the chance?
The greatest remedy for fear of failure is to prepare for it. Students — give yourselves ample time to complete a project, and persevere until you find your desired results. Failing should be seen as an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve your skills, not something that should be feared. Learning to accept that failure is inevitable is something that must be dealt with in the lives of all students, and is essential in order to succeed in life (beyond school). Instead of giving up, take the time to refresh your mind. Go on a walk, read a book, or work on a hobby. By the time you’ve worked the fresh bruise of failure out of your system, you’ll be ready to take a second look at the project that’s been challenging you.
2. Failure Leads to New Opportunities
As Thomas Edison once said, “I haven’t failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” When a goal doesn’t go as planned, you never have to accept that as the final result. Take a step back and reflect on what went wrong, what can be improved, and what needs to change. Interpret each failure as a “restart” on your path to success, not the end of your journey.
Failing is not only a chance to have another try, but it’s a fantastic opportunity to grow or even change your direction. As the old saying goes, “When one door closes, another one opens.” Your first failure can open new doors in your life that were closed before you failed. Or, by shutting one door, you now know which options are better suited for you.
Encouraging students to accept failure as part of life and realise that it is often a good thing, is an important lesson on their road to success. — Tutor Doctor
For instance, if you didn’t get the internship you wanted, it’s okay! Use that free time to strengthen your LinkedIn presence and online portfolio, or to work on other projects you haven’t had time for.
3. Failure Reveals Your Advice Network
As individuals, we all react to failure differently. Some people choose to laugh about minuscule fails, while others internalize their feelings. Other people need to confide in others for comfort, while others take time to themselves. For those who need to connect with others during the time of failure, this will teach you a lot about your “Advice Network”.
Your “Advice Network” is made up of people you instinctively reach out to in times of need, and when you need a boost, they’re your first response team. Failure reveals who your closest, wisest, and most helpful friends and family members are during tough times. And, if you’re someone who is more reserved, this can also come as a sign to reach out and find help. Being able to work through failure without fear of embarrassment or disappointing other people, makes it so you can face failure head on. If you keep your chin up and accept that your failure happened, you can do better next time.
Failure happens to all of us, and while it isn’t pleasant, it often comes as an incredible teacher. Being able to accept and learn from your mistakes can help you turn your shortcomings into valuable lessons, and eventually into success stories. From learning what went wrong and how to do better next time, you gain valuable insight on your own performance, and how you can improve as a person.
Turning failure into something positive isn’t easy, but by engaging with these three steps, you can get back on the path to success. And don’t forget, you’re not alone on your journey! You can always ask for help if you need it, and when you discover your advice network, you can always go to them for support. Failing doesn’t mean the end of the world, it just means a chance to try again.
Rocketbook makes smart notebooks from the future that are endlessly reusable! Using the Rocketbook app, your notes can be easily connected to your favorite cloud destinations for easy online storage and organization, without having to sacrifice the experience of pen and paper!
Follow us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube
