Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn? 250-650 words
Nelson Mandela once said, "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." During the first two years of my high school education I was capable of putting little effort into my work, and I was still able to manage excelling in my classes. I was so blinded from my simple success that I was in for a rude awakening at the start of my junior year.
During the transition from my freshman year to my sophomore year in high school I changed schools. I enrolled in St. Petersburg Collegiate High School, a high school where I would be able to receive my Associates in Arts degree and my high school degree. During my junior and senior year I would be able to take mainly college courses. When I started my junior year I was still in the mindset that I would be able to accomplish the same grades with the same lack of work.
I started to semester fine; I treated it like any other semester. This semester I would be taking Biology for the first time. I never took it at high school level, so everything that the professor taught was new to me. Although I knew that this would probably be my most challenging class of the semester, I still did not give it my full effort; I would never study after class, I would basically only pay attention to the lecture for that day. After our first test I got a "B", which led me to becoming over-confident. This would be the start of my downfall; my habits would stay unchanged. I did not prepare for my next test, believing I would end up with the same outcome as the previous test. I was given a reality check when our tests were given back. I was in complete awe with my performance. Even though I did horrible on that test, I was still over-confident that I did not need to study for the next test. When I was handed my test back, it was like déjŕ vu. This time I knew I had to change, but it was a too late. I changed my study habits, and put more time into the class. I was able to get an "A" on our last test, but it would not be enough to bring my grade up to the level I wanted.
My lack of responsibility and my sense of hybris led me to my failure. Not only was I not satisfied with my final outcome in the class, but also the final outcome led to more consequences. Since my experience with that class I have changed my mindset in school, and in everything I do. I was able to experience that even success can lead you into two different paths: one being motivation and the other being cocksure. I took the wrong path before, but I am positive that it won't happen again. Even when I am able to have a successful outcome in a class, I always try to improve from my success. I learned something new about myself after that experience; there is no peak to what I can accomplish if I always keep on putting my best efforts.
