Failing Isn’t the End—It’s the Start by Rodney

Failing Isn’t the End—It’s the Start by Rodney - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I could turn back time and say one thing to my past self, it would be this: Don't be afraid of failure. Seriously—don't let fear of messing up prevent you from trying. I wasted way too much time believing that failure meant I wasn't good enough, when really it's one of the best learning experiences out there.

I stayed clear of anything that appeared risky back then. I didn't try out for certain squads or offer my hand in class unless I knew for sure that I would do it right. I would justify that I was just being careful, but I was really scared—scared of being foolish, scared of hearing "no," and scared of being imperfect. Looking back, I let some truly great things go just because I didn't want to fail.

Now I notice something that I wish I'd noticed sooner: failing isn't the opposite of succeeding—it's part of it. Every time that I've failed, I've picked up much more than I ever picked up when things were going smoothly. Like when I lost a race for class officer. I was humiliated and irritated, yet from it, I discovered how to deal with rejection and was motivated to keep practicing and improving myself as a public speaker. I lost, but I came out stronger.

If I had just overcome being so afraid of failure, I would have started discovering who I was sooner. I would have tried more, have failed more, and learned more about what truly matters to me. It took some time, but I've learned that failure doesn't make you weak—failure makes you brave. It means you were brave enough to try it, even if everything didn't work out as planned.

That does not make failure fun, though. It can definitely hurt. But when you make it through, you realize it isn't the end of the world. It's really the beginning of something else. You come back wiser, stronger, and braver the second time.

So if I were to talk to my younger self, I would tell her this: take the risk. Do the thing. Raise your hand, sign up, show up—even when you're scared. You might fail, but that's okay. What is important is that you learn from it. Failure is not something to be feared—it is something to be learned from.