Celebrating Failure

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. 

I have been pretty successful in this class overall but I definitely have to admit that I failed in completing my Interviewing Customers assignments. At first, for Interviewing Customers No. 1 I was a bit nervous about doing the video interviews so I decided not to do the assignment. After some feedback from classmates I gave it a shot for Interviewing Customers No. 2 and got a few constructive interviews but I was unable to submit my assignment on time. Interviewing Customers No. 3 involved a time conflict with a family issue. 

2) Tell us what you learned from it.  

I think it is important to be prepared for any assignments or assessments in a course like this and I did not look at Interviewing Customers No. 1 early enough to know that it was a time consuming assignment. Time management and not procrastinating are definitely things I learned from that assignment. It is important to look ahead at upcoming assignments so you know when you need to spend more time preparing or completing the assignment. Although I did not receive credit for any of the Interviewing Customers assignments, I was able to have more confidence in doing other video assignments such as the Elevator Pitch's and the Free Money assignment. I really enjoyed those video assignments so I hope they remain a part of the course. I also think it is important to note that I learned family conflicts can arise out of nowhere so it is good to be proactive and complete assignments ahead of time to give yourself more flexibility in submitting assignments on time.

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 four months ago? 

Failure is one of the hardest things to go through in life. But, I find it captivating how almost every successful person says that their success is attributed to all of the small failures along the way that they learned from and bounced back from. I love the proverb "Fall down seven times, stand up eight." This is how I try to handle my failures. I think it is so important to have this mentality in order to properly handle failure emotionally. This class has enhanced my prospective on failure because, although I may have failed at the Interviewing Customers assignments, I have worked hard to get my grade up and still have the opportunity to earn the A in the course. ENT3003 has also opened up my perspective a bit on taking risks. I feel like I am inherently hesitant to taking risks but taking this class and hearing some of Dr. Pryor's lectures and past students Elevator Pitch's has opened my eyes to the importance of taking measured risks in order to be successful.