Failure.

"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all; in which case you have failed by default." 

-J.K. Rowling

Failure. No one wants to fail, but we all do at some point in our lives. We as people, base our success on our ability to not fail. But if it weren't for failure, we wouldn't even know what success was. It is in fact, important that we fail every once in a while. Failure hurts. It cuts so deep sometimes that our egos are bruised and our only feeling is disappointment. There is no doubt that one of the worst feelings we experience is failure. But, I want to take a minute to remind all of us, including myself, why failure is good. 

"I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." 

-Thomas Edison

One important lesson we can get from our failures, is knowledge. It is with that knowledge, you are able to overcome that obstacle in the future and turn that failure into a success. Even Benjamin Franklin failed numerous times at creating an electric lightbulb. But, it was with those failures, that he found numerous ways that wouldn't work. Now, look at us today. Lightbulbs everywhere. He gained the knowledge that let him find the one way that did work. 

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." 

-Michael Jordan 

Another important lesson we can gain from failure is resilience. Having the ability to recover from a failure quickly. Being resilient and learning from your failures. This lesson can be hard to learn, failing over and over again gets a little discouraging and disappointing. But Michael Jordan didn't give up after missing 9000 shots, and neither should you. 

As we approach finals and a very stressful time for all of my college friends out there, I just wanted to remind you that failing is okay. Not doing as well as you had hoped, is okay. It is just important to learn from your failures, don't let them define you, and always get back up. It is because of our failures that we can be happy for our successes. 

After all, failure is not the opposite of success. It is a part of success. 

Good luck to everyone taking and preparing for finals! May the odds be ever in your favor! 

Yours Truly,

Bri :)