Personal Narrative: Lessons Learned Through Failure

I believe wholeheartedly that sometimes the lessons learned through failure can be more instrumental to our growth as educated and contributing members of society. I figure that finding it, is comparable to mining through dirt in order to find gold. Even though the lesson can be hard to pin-point once its found, it usually is as valuable as gold. Throughout my life, I have experienced many successes. Nevertheless, I often find solace in my failures from many different areas in my life.

When I was eight years old, I got hooked on acting. I have auditioned for many shows over the years, so I have had many unpleasant experiences where I felt like a failure for not receiving the part I wanted or the part I thought I deserved. As a young child,

and even now, this kind of disappointment can be crippling at times. Many times I have struggled with seeing myself objectively through someone else’s perspective. I have wanted to give up, quit, and find something else to occupy my time. But that would have been too easy. Perhaps I felt that by making myself suffer through it, I would grow as an actress. However, it did the opposite because everytime that I got back on stage, I was reminded of my past failure and that crippled me. In fact, I think the real reason that I never give up is simply because I love to act. I suffer for my craft, by choice, in a prison of my own making. I can not escape, nor do I ever want to. So I had to learn to overcome my failures and my doubts by learning to accept the wrst and keep striving for the best I can be. I have learned many important lessons through my disappointments in the casting of various shows. These include the fact that, at times, life is not fair, regardless, one should never give up. For it is when you give up, that you truly fail.
In my experience, failure comes in three main forms Firstly, there are times when I do my best, and I still fail.

For example, at a recent audition, was competing for the first time against older and more experienced actors and actresses. In this case, I was very nervous going in, and I did not know what to expect. However, I ended up genuinely having fun and enjoying myself at the initial audition and the call back. Even though I was not offered a role in the production, I am proud of myself for “holding my own”. I believe that I did my best, so I have no reason to be upset with myself. The casting directors most likely made their decisions based on factors that are out of my control, like appearance, experience, or relationships. Therefore, it is easy for me to move on to another project. Secondly, there are many times when I come into a less-competitive audition completely prepared, and I completely mess up. I find it very hard to move on after this experience because I know I could have done better. However, after reflection and reconciliation, I am able to forgive my momentary failure and continue to improve my skill set. On the other hand, there is also failure due to unpreparedness. Sometimes, I enter situations that I am not prepared for. These failures can easily be discounted as a momentary misfortune. However, I think that this type of failure requires the most reflection, since whether the event is a success or not depends almost entirely on oneself.

Personally, I find a way to correct the lack in preparation and plan more for the next event, whether it is an audition, an interview, a game, or even a test. There is always a lesson to be learned from every hardship.
In the end, you have to fail to succeed. Although one does not strive for failure, it is an inevitable part of challenging oneself. I see neither success nor failure as entirely positive or negative. It all depends on how you view them. Our only true choice is how we let our successes and our failures influence us.