Prompt: The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 650 max word limit
This is my common app essay. Please critique and offer your opinions! Don't be afraid to pick away at it!
At one point, I seriously thought that I could take on Chuck Norris. I had no doubt in my mind that I was the reincarnation of Bruce Lee. After watching every single movie Bruce Lee ever produced, I was even more convinced.
Currently, I am practicing and teaching Tang Soo Do. Not many people know what Tang Soo Do is so, to make a long story short, Tang Soo Do is the original form of Taekwondo. Up until my red belt with a stripe test, the thought of failing a test was foreign to me. I thought I had the highest kicks, the most flexibility, and the strongest ki-hap(the yell after throwing a technique). However, my hubris did more than blind me of my shortcomings, it pervaded into all aspects of my life. Humility was not in my personal dictionary.
After the test, I believed one-hundred percent that I passed. I was immediately taken back when I was informed that I had failed. How could the next Bruce Lee fail? Physically, I was ready; mentally, I was not. I failed because my pride disillusioned me. My hubris blinded me from seeing the mistakes in my techniques but instead shrouded me with a false sense of security. I was all the more ashamed when my instructor told me that my attitude is what kept me from failing. Failing was like a new awakening as I realized how I easily confused confidence with cockiness. Although failing shattered my dreams to spar Chuck Norris, I took this opportunity to grow and mature.
A whole personality change was arduous as arrogance was deeply ingrained into my personality. The most difficult aspect was facing my fellow peers after exhibiting such narcissistic behavior. I trained harder than ever before. At the same time, I became more cognizant of attitude to my peers, friends, and instructors. I became more willing to receive critique rather than give critique.
Of the many basic tenets that I learned from this experience, the most significant was the value of perseverance. A short time after this incident, I had contemplated about quitting Boy Scouts. Boy Scouts did not hold the same appeal that it once did when I was younger, so my solution to this problem was to quit. However, as I was discussing this matter with my parents, I thought about my experience in my Tang Soo Do studio. As I grudgingly moved on in my journey in Scouting, part of me was satisfied. My previous self would have quit. I had quit playing the piano, trumpet, and running track because that was my belief. If I did not like what I was doing, I quit. I had no sense of perseverance. However, because I already failed once, I did not want to quit. Quitting is just as poor as failing so I was adamant of continuing until the end.
An epiphany will bring knowledge but a failure will result in character. I am not afraid to admit that I failed because this failure helped to get my Eagle Scout and my first-degree black belt. I find myself thinking of this experience whenever demanding situations arise and remind myself to continue until the end. My future is dictated by my actions. The portrait in which I intend to paint is going to be a masterpiece because of my failures. Maybe one day I will get to match up against Chuck Norris, but until that day, my failures will continue to push me and mold me into a giant like Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris.
Thanks for your responses!!
This is my common app essay. Please critique and offer your opinions! Don't be afraid to pick away at it!
At one point, I seriously thought that I could take on Chuck Norris. I had no doubt in my mind that I was the reincarnation of Bruce Lee. After watching every single movie Bruce Lee ever produced, I was even more convinced.
Currently, I am practicing and teaching Tang Soo Do. Not many people know what Tang Soo Do is so, to make a long story short, Tang Soo Do is the original form of Taekwondo. Up until my red belt with a stripe test, the thought of failing a test was foreign to me. I thought I had the highest kicks, the most flexibility, and the strongest ki-hap(the yell after throwing a technique). However, my hubris did more than blind me of my shortcomings, it pervaded into all aspects of my life. Humility was not in my personal dictionary.
After the test, I believed one-hundred percent that I passed. I was immediately taken back when I was informed that I had failed. How could the next Bruce Lee fail? Physically, I was ready; mentally, I was not. I failed because my pride disillusioned me. My hubris blinded me from seeing the mistakes in my techniques but instead shrouded me with a false sense of security. I was all the more ashamed when my instructor told me that my attitude is what kept me from failing. Failing was like a new awakening as I realized how I easily confused confidence with cockiness. Although failing shattered my dreams to spar Chuck Norris, I took this opportunity to grow and mature.
A whole personality change was arduous as arrogance was deeply ingrained into my personality. The most difficult aspect was facing my fellow peers after exhibiting such narcissistic behavior. I trained harder than ever before. At the same time, I became more cognizant of attitude to my peers, friends, and instructors. I became more willing to receive critique rather than give critique.
Of the many basic tenets that I learned from this experience, the most significant was the value of perseverance. A short time after this incident, I had contemplated about quitting Boy Scouts. Boy Scouts did not hold the same appeal that it once did when I was younger, so my solution to this problem was to quit. However, as I was discussing this matter with my parents, I thought about my experience in my Tang Soo Do studio. As I grudgingly moved on in my journey in Scouting, part of me was satisfied. My previous self would have quit. I had quit playing the piano, trumpet, and running track because that was my belief. If I did not like what I was doing, I quit. I had no sense of perseverance. However, because I already failed once, I did not want to quit. Quitting is just as poor as failing so I was adamant of continuing until the end.
An epiphany will bring knowledge but a failure will result in character. I am not afraid to admit that I failed because this failure helped to get my Eagle Scout and my first-degree black belt. I find myself thinking of this experience whenever demanding situations arise and remind myself to continue until the end. My future is dictated by my actions. The portrait in which I intend to paint is going to be a masterpiece because of my failures. Maybe one day I will get to match up against Chuck Norris, but until that day, my failures will continue to push me and mold me into a giant like Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris.
Thanks for your responses!!