Reflective Essay Sample: Failure Is a Major Learning Tool in Life

Failure, as painful as it is, is a necessary part of life. Failure is in fact, essential because you get to know yourself better in the long run and learn from your mistakes. Though I have failed more times than I like to admit I’m happy that I did because without them I  would be a different person. Therefore I believe that failure is a major learning tool in life.

Personally I think people don’t like the word failure. Why is that?  I think that we don’t like the word because of how it makes us feel. Maybe when we experience failure for the first time it makes us feel defeated or beaten down. Therefore when we hear the word failure or it said out loud, we shy away from it. Another reason why I think we don't like the word failure is because it hurts our feelings. Like I said before, feelings play a huge factor in failure. Personally I think that many people will go to any length to avoid experiencing emotional distress. And I admit that I am a victim as well. Sometimes I live in the same area as failure, never relocate, and, more importantly, become accustomed to the feeling. Sometimes I like to look at it as it infiltrates the house through the front door and establishes itself there. But recently I started to believe that failure is okay. Yeah, I said it's okay because failure helps you dig deeper and find better solutions to your old problems. 

The one thing that taught me how to use failures to benefit myself is to look at the failures as starting points rather than finishing points. Many people think that failure is the end and there is no going back from it, but that's not the case. You need to think of it as another chance to make a difference. For instance instead of saying “ I’m a failure because my friendships didn’t last” you tell yourself that “It was time for both of us to focus on our own priorities." Therefore it can train yourself to embrace failure and take something good from it. 

Resilience. I strongly agree that resilience is the bread and butter to learning from failure because it shows you when things don't go as planned, you have the ability to adjust and bounce back. People that are resilient don't allow in setbacks; instead, they acknowledge the problem, learn from their mistakes, and move on. Which I think can be tough at times but as long as you keep up with it then it will be easier for you in the future. 

In conclusion, failure is not always a bad thing because it creates great learning opportunities in the real world. The reasons for your failure can also vary, but learning from failure is what causes a shift in your perspective towards life. If you take nothing else away from this statement, I hope you understand that you should always be open to everything that happens to you and not be afraid of failing. You never know when a failure will lead to a better opportunity.