Withou Without Failure

As a student athlete, I have learned to use failure as an opportunity to learn. The moments in which I have "failed" have only helped me grow and reflect on the mistakes that not only I have made, but also those made by others. I was forced to do this multiple times throughout my final season of high school field hockey. Even though the team had players who were devoted and had a true desire to win, the season ended as a losing record in the books. As the primary goalie and captain, this was extremely difficult to accept. However, I began to see the game as more than just a win or a loss. Losing gave the team the opportunity to closely look at what we did well, and what we needed to improve on. We were then able to focus more precisely on what we needed to do in order to succeed. I was able to learn that being successful and winning were not necessarily the same thing. We had success in a smaller sense; we worked as a team, played clean games and were noted for our sportsmanship. Although our record did not improve much, the overall attitude and skill of the team began to rise. We began to play for each other, instead of just playing for ourselves. This change was astronomical for the overall well being of the team.

I have chosen to take any negative experiences as future motivation to succeed. This has helped me to better appreciate not only the joy of winning, but also the hard work and devotion that goes into it. By doing this I am able to make more confident choices, accept the ideas of others, and inspire my peers to see the important opportunities that coincide with "failure" as well. Every day we are affected by actions, both our own and by those of others. It is how a person chooses to react to these actions (whether they are considered to be a success or failure) that reveals and shapes true