The Art of Failing

I am back from yet another break I took from blogging. I will dispel your curiosity – I didn’t go on a safari, I didn’t skip town and move to Hawaii… In fact, I didn’t do anything interesting. I was studying for the GMAT, a standardized test designed to give the distinguished members of the graduate admissions committee insight into my academic abilities, business acumen, and general worth. Turns out I am priceless.

In the past, I’ve taken the GRE (to be the writer I always wanted to be) and the LSAT (to be the lawyer I thought I wanted to be). My current status of a full-time employee at a leading professional services firm will give you an idea of my consistent performance on these tests. About three and a half hours after walking into some welcoming test center, I leave a reborn woman. Nail polish chipped, hands slightly clammy. While some doors close, others – also close!

I have adopted a new outlook on general failure, which I attribute to my spiritual growth and occasional consumption of antidepressants.

Scenario 1 – Best Case of Failure
Amount of effort exerted: Minimal
Assets (material, emotional, and other) at stake: None – nothing to lose; the opportunity cost is zero!
Result: Failure
Example: A few months ago, I got the nerve to ask if I can one day come watch the chef cook at one of my favorite restaurants. I mentioned that I can help with any tasks and would gladly wash dishes. I left my number, and…surprise-surprise, no one called me back. Now, I am still in the same position as I was before asking, and I am only slightly embarrassed – not enough not to go back to the restaurant.

Scenario 2 – Moderate Case of Failure
Amount of effort exerted: Some
Assets (material, emotional, and other) at stake: Some self-worth, some time
Result: Failure
Example: I started submitting some of my writing to publications. This obviously involved writing and then (ugh!) filling out multiple forms and submitting my work. I also had to research the publications and submit to a variety of journals, ranging from some that would you can actually buy at a newsstand to some that are probably edited by a bunch of high school juniors in an English club. Slowly but surely, the rejections started flooding my mailbox. One rejection got spammed – even Yahoo! couldn’t imagine that I could possibly get so many “thank you, but no, thank you” emails.


Scenario 3 – Worst Case of Failure
Amount of effort exerted: Enormous
Assets (material, emotional, and other) at stake: Most of limited self confidence, too much time
Result: Failure
Example: Insert your own here