Celebrating Failure

1. I failed most recently at my job. As the video coordinator for UF Women's Soccer, I am responsible for all video presentations for the team. At the SEC Tournament, the head coach wanted me to show a pump up video a few hours before the game took place. I was fully prepared, with the video, projector, extra speaker, etc. Upon starting the video, I realized the sound was not nearly loud enough. The room was huge, making the noise from my speaker seem mouse-like. It didn't have the right effect on the team, and the head coach let me know afterwards.
2. The biggest thing I learned from this experience is to not trust technology. Even if you have used it before and it has worked seamlessly, always show up early and test it out just in case. It is better plan ahead. As the cliche goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. The other takeaway from this failure is that while people might be upset that you let them down in the workplace, it is not a personal attack. You must remind yourself that, at the end of the day, you are all friends and will remain friends. Sometimes, the workplace causes problems. It is only if those problems carry over into your personal lives that it becomes a real issue.
3. Overall, I handle failure quite well in the workplace. I do not take it personally and I never make the same mistake twice. I always strive to be the best I can be, so failure can hit hard sometimes. But in the end, I always remind myself that none of this really matters and to not take life too seriously. Whenever I do fail, I make sure to make people forget about it by going over the top on my next task or assignment. This class has helped change my perspective on failure by showing me it is not the end all be all. Failure is simply a part of success. You fail everyday in pursuit of that one success. Failure is common, success is rare. You can't have one without the other. I feel as if I am more likely to take a risk now after this class.