Introduction
My decision to pick this prompt stunned a lot of my colleagues with some calling me crazy. They wondered why I would confess my failures to people, instead of just doing to the college officers only. Of more concern is the way failure is defined. The question is whether failure refers to not measuring up to a given standard or simply attempting to do something without achieving the results desired. It is important to mention that the failures of some people may be the successes of others in the society.
My story
Like many high school students, I always thought I was infallible. I say this based on my experience with the standup paddle also known as SUP. My academic interest has always been in studying pharmacy. Most of the colleges offering pharmacy are situated near water bodies. My research in various campuses showed that SUP was both a sport and a course that bore credit. Most of the students whom I enquired always told me that being good at the standup paddle was one of the added advantages for those who wanted to study in the in their institutions. I decided to go and watch videos about this sport and built the courage and confidence that I needed to do it. SUP was not such a hard game, especially considering the fact that I had been a very good swimmer. I, therefore, felt standup paddle would not be a challenging experience for me and I would excel at it. One of the sources of my confidence was my physique. I was thin with lean muscles and usually consumed minimal proteins. All these were features of a good swimmer.
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At the end of the summer, I participated in a four-mile race meant to raise funds for the aid of beach conservation programs. This event would mark the point of my lesson. I really prepared for this race through watching YouTube videos about perfect ways of doing it and reading SUP magazines. The crowd that I witnessed on the very day of the race indicated that it was an event that would be star-studded, with many big racers. The racers were people of different ages with some people bringing on their children and pets.
I was given a board by the organizers after being checked in. Although I was able to stand on this board when the race started, I could not stay on it for long. It would not be long before I fell. I kept on falling, which made me to get behind the pack. I was affected by the presence of small currents and the waves, which were generated by the boats that were at a distance. No sooner had I even reached the middle of the pack than other leading contestants started paddling their way back. They included a woman with her labradoodle placed properly at the front of her board. I started feeling lonely, hurt and lost breadth. I decided to make a U-turn and boarded back on the shore. I had not completed the race course. I greatly failed in this race.
Conclusion
Although this taste of failure was very bitter, I picked very important lessons from this failure. The experience of failure gave a lesson that it is not right to ever underestimate an opponent in any competition. I learned that the secret of winning a competition is avoiding complacency and appreciating all competitors as equal to me in terms of capability. This failure helped me stop the habit of judging others, particularly during competitions. I now never approach competitions with over-confidence.
