A Failure at Snowboarding
During spring break, I traveled to sugar mountain to snowboard with a group of friends. I have lived in Florida for my entire life, so seeing snow and mountains was a new experience. I decided to pick up snowboarding instead of skiing because I thought snowboarding looked cooler. My first time strapping up, I couldn't even stand. It was frustrating to see children shred slopes, and here I am sitting on my ass. Eventually I was able to go down the practice slope, not without falling multiple times, and the adrenaline rush was amazing. I eavesdropped on some conversations that professional trainers were having with their trainees to pick up some fundamentals (essentially free lessons). Over the three days that I spent at the mountain, I managed to go from the practice slope to tackling intermediate slopes. If there was one thing that I learned from this experience is persistence. After the first day, I was so sore with bruises all over my body. Even with the pain, I wanted to get back out there and get better.
I think failure is a necessary part of success. Failure is terrible and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, but once you have a little bit of success it makes the failure worth it. I my case, all the times I fell were worth it when I successfully went down the beginner slope without falling. Emotionally, repetitive failure can lead to anxiety, from lack of self-confidence, and depression. To manage these emotions is to manage failure. This class really helped me expand past my comfort zone, both socially and creatively. I believe that I am more willing to take risks now than ever before since taking this class.
Hey Aaron!
ReplyDeleteI can actually relate to your experience pretty closely. The first time I ever went snowboarding a few years ago, I had trouble picking it up the first hour or so and took some hard falls. But after being persistent I eventually got the hang of it, and even though after this I still took many spills, I always got back up and kept learning. Since snowboarding for the first time, I have actually taken up wake boarding, which is quite similar, so I hope that some of that skill carries over the next time I go snowboarding!
Hi Aaron!
ReplyDeleteGreat story on failure. I can relate because I also have never been skiing or snowboarding, so I would undoubtedly be in the same position as you. It sounds like you were able to rebound from this failure quickly, though! I admire that you are able to turn a failure into motivation so quickly. Sometimes it takes me months to reflect on a failure before I appreciate the positive aspect of it.