Celebrating Failure

• Tell us about a time this past semester that you failed -- whether in this class, or outside of this class. Don't spare any details! It'd be even better if there was something you tried several times this semester, and failed each time. 
• My brother and I have enjoyed playing ping pong since we were 8 years old. Hes much better than I am, but I'm trying to improve. I never really played properly all my life, I just would play for fun and hit the ball in ways I thought were cool. Last semester he practiced at the ping pong club in UF. He got much better, to the point that I cant really beat him, so recently I've been trying to learn how to serve properly. The first day of practicing, he taught me the basic body motion and how to put spin on the ball, and so I began practicing. I repeated the movements over and over and tried so many times to get it right, but each time I either hit it too hard, or didn't put any spin. In my brothers eyes, I failed over and over. I also new I was failing because it didn't feel right to me. It was pretty frustrating. After practicing a few hours a week and still failing to get it right, I just gave up and continued to play how I would before. One day I will get use to it, but it may take a lot more practice.
• Tell us what you learned from it.
• From this experience, I learned that it is sometimes very frustrating to fail, but that anything can be accomplished with enough repetition and practice. 
• I also learned that something that might seem fairly straightforward for one person, can be a difficult challenge for another. 
• Reflect, in general, on what you think about failure. Failure is hard, isn't it? It's embarrassing, sure, but it also means that we have to change something about ourselves. Talk about how you handle failure (emotionally, behaviorally). Finally, talk about how this class has changed your perspective on failure -- are you more likely to take a risk now than you were just a few months ago?
• I think failure can sometimes be pretty overwhelming, if not accompanied with a positive mentality. Failure can be embarrassing, annoying, and at first seems like a sign to just give up. Personally when I fail at something, whether it is learning how to serve in ping-pong, or doing poorly on an exam for school, I get frustrated. Once my mind is clear, which happens not too long after, I tend to think hard on what I could've done differently. While this sometimes makes me feel like I've let myself down, I also realize how I could avoid making the same mistakes in the future. 
• This class has made me more understanding of the fact that failure isn't loss, but instead a reason to improve, or change the way I approach a situation. Each assignment came with a chance for improvement and helpful critique and feedback, which is something that is not all classes provide opportunities for. I feel that when it comes to approaching success, I am more open minded and likely to take risks, even if that means failing over and over.