In our society, the "f" word seems to have taken on some strange taboo. This word is a trigger word, and most people tend to avoid using it, talking about it, and even shy away from having it enter their mental psyche. If you haven't guessed already, the word that I am referencing here is failure. Often known as the generation where "everyone is a winner" and "everyone gets a medal for participating," millennials have a hard time taking risks in the event that the results will end in failure. And with failure bringing about such strong negative connotations, anyone would be frightened to take a risk with even the slightest room for failure exists.

However, I believe that failure is essential to growth. In my opinion, it is from our failures in which we learn the most about ourselves as well as our relationships with our family and friends. In the event of failure, relationships will be tested, showing us who is truly there for us and who is only there for a fleeting amount of time. We also learn how we individually handle rejection or cope with devastating news and how we are able to move on from such let downs.

With graduation coming in May, and many of us entering the workforce, a large emphasis is placed on getting a job post-graduation. Once the process of finding a job is over, many college seniors believe that the pressure is completely off. However, entering the workforce as a new employee in a sea of seasoned workers can be intimidating. Not to mention many of us will be working side by side with new hires in a competition to prove who is more efficient from the start. So how do we distinguish ourselves from the masses entering the workforce? We have to be willing to take risks. Regardless of how small, taking a chance on a venture proves our acknowledgement of potential failure, but also shows our strength in believing in ourselves and taking a chance.

If you don't believe me, take it from Mark Zuckerberg, thw CEO of Facebook, who said, "The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks."