The ultimate goal in life, especially for a college student, is success. What is success without failure and a couple bumps along the way? It is all relative to one's past. When you get to that point in life where you can look back and feel that you have succeeded to your full potential, you are not looking back at all that you have done; you are looking back at all that you have overcome. We all are going to face adversity in our lives, and our measure of success is based on how we get back up after being knocked down.
In recent events, The Brandeis University women's cross country team just barley missed the mark to qualify for the NCAA Division III Nationals. As a member of the team, I can confirm that the spirt was down for a while, but I also saw this ignite a fire for many of the runners. Although there was a huge amount of disappointment, there was not an ounce of defeat. We all picked up from where we left off, and kept moving forward. I remember speaking to the captain, Maddie Dolins, she remarked that once she received the bad news, she immediately looked into the times she needed to make it to nationals for indoor track. As a team, I know that any success and achievements will mean that much more knowing how quickly we all hurdled this obstacle and moved on. I would not consider this a failure in any way, but it is definitely a significant moment that we will all think about with every PR, win, or achievement.
Failure or struggle is not necessarily a bad thing, but more an opportunity to grow and become stronger. If you look at difficulties in life optimistically, success comes more easily and is that much more meaningful. Every situation is different, and everyone reacts to disappointment differently. Overcoming adversity is easier said than done, but we must see it as a lesson learned. Even if we cannot see a silver lining or learning experience, we can see it as an experience for which we are better because of it.
Whether it is your athletic team, academic career, or personal life, success is how you rise from rock bottom. The most successful people in life come from nothing or do the impossible. There is failure and triumph behind every heroe's journey. As Thomas Edison once said, "I have not failed 1,000 times. I have sucessfully discovered 1,000 ways not to make a lightbulb."
