Celebrating Failure - 26A

1) 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. 

Last year, as I was reflecting and writing out my new year's goals, I decided that this year was the year I was going to learn how to play the piano! I had it all planned out. I was going to teach myself with the help of free apps and Youtube tutorials.

My yearly goals are set up by quarters. Every three months, I try to tackle a new goal. One of the goals for the first quarter was to purchase a keyboard piano and sheet music. By the fourth quarter, the goal was to be able to play a full-length song by Christmas. But life, school, work obligations, social life, and let's face it, laziness, all got in the way and I never even built my way up to the first step, which was buying the instrument.

2) Tell us what you learned from it.  

I learned that to achieve anything in life, whether it's building a business or learning how to play the piano, you need to be disciplined and set priorities. If it's truly important to you, you'll find a way to achieve it. I've realized that the only thing that gets in between me and accomplishing goals is myself and the excuses I make. As harsh as that may sound, it's true.

3) 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 finally got a keyboard this past month. It's not the most expensive or fanciest piano, but it's everything I need to start learning. I think the reason why it took me so long to get to this point was that I wanted to get the perfect keyboard and have the ideal conditions to play. But what I've learned in this class is that the perfect timing doesn't exist. You just have to take action and do it! The more you wait around, the less likely that goal will become a reality. Whether it's for a professional or personal goal, the best thing you can do for yourself is to do the best you can with what you have. At the end of the day, its all about progress, not perfection.