Celebrating Failure

1)    For this semester, I made it my goal to perfect my golf swing to the point where my drives go straight. Make the ball go straight, seems rather simple, right? Well I have been finding out the hard way that the task is far more difficult than it sounds. I have gone to the driving range and golf course for hours at a time only to see the golf ball go virtually any direction other than where I want. Although, I have noticed a significant improvement and can tell that I will one day get the ball to travel its intended path. (Hopefully)

2)    I have played sports my entire life and golf has supported what I have learned from the other sports in that it takes time to develop skill. I started playing baseball when I was 4 and for 2 years I could only hit the ball when it was resting idly on a batting tee. Similarly, I started playing football when I was 12 years old and it took almost a full season to earn a starting spot. Learning the sport of golf has reinforced what I have previously learned: to become successful at something one must dedicate sufficient time and effort in order to reach their goal.

3)    I think that failure is something that can be embarrassing and difficult to deal with, however, it is necessary to succeed. I firmly believe that, had Michael Jordan not been kicked off of his high school basketball team, he would not have had the chip on his should that drove him to be such an amazing basketball player. When I fail at something, I often view it similarly to Thomas Edison. I believe that if one can get over the feeling of discouragement, they can learn and improve. This class has only reinforced my perspective that failure leads one to grow and better themselves.