Failures build character. In this blog, I share one of the most challenging times in my school and how I overcame those challenges.
At the end of 2019 and into 2020, the COVID-19 Pandemic shook the world. For myself and others, we were immediately dismissed from our institutions. Weeks later, we were in the midst of quarantine. It happened so fast that it didn't even seem real; and although it was, we were forced to work under less than ideal conditions while staying at home for months.
These conditions took a toll on most, and it became difficult to overcome. For myself, going remote for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester was the most challenging time in my college life. During this semester, I was at a shallow point that reflected on my work and overall performance at school. Having to complete school away from campus didn't help at all. Almost throwing in the towel, I was close to the verge of giving up. While it got the best of me at the time, I can say that reflecting on it now has made me a better student, and I learned a valuable lesson.
Once the semester was over, I was able to take time to myself and reflect on the challenges I faced at the beginning of the pandemic. When things began to open back up, I was able to earn money through having a job and kept myself busy through other hobbies such as painting. That semester was one of my most difficult semesters; I had built-up feelings of discouragement and failure. But I was able to shift those negative feelings into hobbies that made me productive and gave me a sense of encouragement that I needed to be able to push through and get back on track. During the summer, the time frame that I had before returning to school in-person, I was able to take time to find the motivation I needed to come back stronger for the fall semester.
In life, obstacles will hit us and how we deal with them is the ultimate root of who we are. With every failure comes strength, and having that fear of being on the edge of collapse can push you even harder. The feeling of failure isn't always a bad thing in the long run. At the moment, it might feel like the absolute worst and neverending. However, over time, there is always a lesson learned that only makes us stronger and can lead us to having a better outlook and ability to perform than before the failure even took place. Essentially, I've learned that perspective is key, and on the other side of most failures comes growth. We just need to take the time to see it.