Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
Crtl. Del? My finger came to a halt at the delete button. I stared at the screen filled with sentences that recounted my failure and flaw. What if colleges read this and dislike me? Should I risk it?
As an experienced committee member, I was elected as Vice President for our school's spring festival, Kermesse. After all the hard work and preparation, I was confident Kermesse would be a success. To my horror, I find out last minute that our school choir was chosen to represent San Francisco to participate in Chicago's Festival of Gold and I would not be able to attend Kermesse. My heart sank. Even though there wouldn't be a big impact if I didn't go to Chicago, I longed to travel with my team. For days, I debate back and forth as to whether I should leave for Chicago or not.
"What can go wrong during Kermesse? I already prepared everything," I thought. In the end, I chose Chicago. I informed my teacher and the president, ensured that all preparation work was done, and appointed another committee member to be my substitute on the day of Kermesse. I explained to her my job, and told her to call me immediately if anything happens. With that, I hopped on the plane, certain that Kermesse would run smoothly.
Oh how wrong I was! After I got off the plane, I was shocked to see 10 missed call from my other board members. Frantically, I returned the call to hear them yelling at me, "Where are you? We were looking for you! The water balloons of the water balloon game pops too easily!" My defensive instinct immediately kicked in. I blamed my president for not informing the rest of the committee. However, I still explained the situation to her and promised to fix the mess. I called my substitute and gave her instructions. I asked her to raise the requirements of the game so that it will be harder to win, while another member runs to buy balloons that are thicker and harder to burst.
During the whole day, I was on my phone, giving her instructions while touring around the city. My choir members were annoyed at me for always being on my phone. My committee members were mad at me. I was frustrated. That was when a sudden realization hit me. My selfish and irresponsible decision costed the happiness of 3 different groups of people. It wasn't the president's responsibility to tell other committee members. It was mine. Blaming him and making up excuses might lessen the anger towards me, but that does not mean I wasn't guilty. I felt as if a huge stone crushed my back, and guilt slowly suffocated me. I was too ashamed to talk about my decision, but I know I needed to confront my mistake.
First thing after landing, I sincerely apologized to the team. I admitted it was my fault for not informing the whole team of my absence. I also apologized fervently to the president for blaming him. I also wrote a reflection with solutions on what to do if similar situation ever appears. I even proposed to resign my position as Vice President. However, my committee members were all very understanding and forgave me.
This incident made me realize the importance of prioritizing my roles and responsibilities. I had chosen fun and leisure over responsibility. As we set foot on the battlefield of life, we have only our personal resources for defense. Responsibility and consequence both become a major factor in most of our decisions. Being a leader secures us great freedom, and power in this world, but with that power and freedom we must always assume responsibility for our actions.
On the verge of college, I see how this has been true. I lifted my finger from the delete button and instead pressed save. I need to be responsible for my doings. In order to improve, the first step is to acknowledge my own mistake. Situations like this will always happen, but I will flash back to the failure and the victory embraced by this epiphany.
Crtl. Del? My finger came to a halt at the delete button. I stared at the screen filled with sentences that recounted my failure and flaw. What if colleges read this and dislike me? Should I risk it?
As an experienced committee member, I was elected as Vice President for our school's spring festival, Kermesse. After all the hard work and preparation, I was confident Kermesse would be a success. To my horror, I find out last minute that our school choir was chosen to represent San Francisco to participate in Chicago's Festival of Gold and I would not be able to attend Kermesse. My heart sank. Even though there wouldn't be a big impact if I didn't go to Chicago, I longed to travel with my team. For days, I debate back and forth as to whether I should leave for Chicago or not.
"What can go wrong during Kermesse? I already prepared everything," I thought. In the end, I chose Chicago. I informed my teacher and the president, ensured that all preparation work was done, and appointed another committee member to be my substitute on the day of Kermesse. I explained to her my job, and told her to call me immediately if anything happens. With that, I hopped on the plane, certain that Kermesse would run smoothly.
Oh how wrong I was! After I got off the plane, I was shocked to see 10 missed call from my other board members. Frantically, I returned the call to hear them yelling at me, "Where are you? We were looking for you! The water balloons of the water balloon game pops too easily!" My defensive instinct immediately kicked in. I blamed my president for not informing the rest of the committee. However, I still explained the situation to her and promised to fix the mess. I called my substitute and gave her instructions. I asked her to raise the requirements of the game so that it will be harder to win, while another member runs to buy balloons that are thicker and harder to burst.
During the whole day, I was on my phone, giving her instructions while touring around the city. My choir members were annoyed at me for always being on my phone. My committee members were mad at me. I was frustrated. That was when a sudden realization hit me. My selfish and irresponsible decision costed the happiness of 3 different groups of people. It wasn't the president's responsibility to tell other committee members. It was mine. Blaming him and making up excuses might lessen the anger towards me, but that does not mean I wasn't guilty. I felt as if a huge stone crushed my back, and guilt slowly suffocated me. I was too ashamed to talk about my decision, but I know I needed to confront my mistake.
First thing after landing, I sincerely apologized to the team. I admitted it was my fault for not informing the whole team of my absence. I also apologized fervently to the president for blaming him. I also wrote a reflection with solutions on what to do if similar situation ever appears. I even proposed to resign my position as Vice President. However, my committee members were all very understanding and forgave me.
This incident made me realize the importance of prioritizing my roles and responsibilities. I had chosen fun and leisure over responsibility. As we set foot on the battlefield of life, we have only our personal resources for defense. Responsibility and consequence both become a major factor in most of our decisions. Being a leader secures us great freedom, and power in this world, but with that power and freedom we must always assume responsibility for our actions.
On the verge of college, I see how this has been true. I lifted my finger from the delete button and instead pressed save. I need to be responsible for my doings. In order to improve, the first step is to acknowledge my own mistake. Situations like this will always happen, but I will flash back to the failure and the victory embraced by this epiphany.
