things I've failed at this year
Because not everything always goes the way I planned.
If I could give my younger self one advice it would be to not be so hard on myself when I think I’ve failed at something. Failure is such a normal part of everyday life and a crucial part of the learning and growing process.
In an effort to normalize failure in my life, here is a list of everything I’ve “failed at” or “failed to overcome” this year:
I am still insecure about wearing my glasses (because they make me look nerdy)
I didn’t cut my hair short (even though I’ve been talking about doing it for ages) because I was scared of the change
I didn’t dye my hair red because I was worried what others might think
I tried to journal everyday but stopped midway through the year
I didn’t hit my goal of reading one book a month
I failed to keep an 80+ average in 2B
I didn’t learn korean this year (I’ve meaning to for the longest time since living with my best friend who’s korean)
I didn’t get that interview to my dream company (and I got really frustrated because they gave me an interview in first year and I bombed that one)
I failed to prioritize my fitness for the majority of the year (but in the last 4 months have been making a comeback)
I failed to try a new food every month
I failed to set healthy work-life balance goals and as a result work started to bleed into my rest time :(
I failed to secure an external co-op offer for 4th co-op
I failed to stay in contact with my high school friends
I tried to take a 20-minute mental health walk everyday but stopped midway through the year
I didn’t stick to my goal of drinking 64 oz of water a day
I started the year by scheduling one coffee chat a month but got busy and stopped 8 months in
I didn’t meet up with my mentees as much as I would have wanted
I failed to pay for one first year’s meal per week
I didn’t make it a habit to meal prep every week for the majority of the year (but started to in the last 4 months)
I failed to spend less than 60 hours a week on schoolwork
so, what have I learned?
A mentor of mine used to always say: you haven’t failed until you’re dead. What she meant was if you’re still breathing then there’s still time to accomplish whatever it is you want to accomplish. So yes, I may not have accomplished everything I wanted to this year, but instead of wallowing I’m just going to use that as motivation to keep trying next year💪.