College Admissions Essay: The Tragic Failure Of Success

Riding a unicycle is probably pretty interesting. I originally wanted my parents to get me a pogo stick for christmas because they never got me one when i was little, but they couldn’t find an adult sized one in their budget. So they figured something else that is equally strange would suffice, and it really seemed to fit my personality.The reason I started my essay with a reference to my unicycle is because it shows some good aspects of my character. Since riding a unicycle took multiple months for me to master, it shows that I am persistent, even if I fall a few times. Though riding a unicycle is interesting and fun, it’s not my main priority. I’m extremely passionate for film and theatre, and there are a few things about me that really do a fantastic job at getting me ready for a career in acting.

When I sat down and read this prompt, I thought it was the worst prompt that could ever put on the list because it made me feel so vulnerable and weak. I was asking myself why would I admit to people, especially college admission officers that I had actually failed at something, not just one but plethora? I thought wouldn’t they look down on me for that, knowing that I’m not always successful at what I do? At the same I thought to myself, what is Failure? Is it not measuring up to standards or simply making an attempt without achieving the desired outcome?

“Don't fear failure...in great attempts it is glorious even to fail.” These great inspirational words were spoken by the even greater Martial Artist Bruce Lee. This quote alone captures what I—and most people—fear: failure. However, is my favorite quote because it captures and portrays failure in this light where success is based on the greatness that we choose to do and not just the way that it turns out and that we can still be successful even when failure is present. That even after we dedicate, practice and try that failing is still something great that we achieved because we gave it our all. It helps us to believe that if we try our best than no matter what the outcome is—in some way or another—we succeeded. This type of logic helps others

They say that there is nothing to fear but fear itself, yet I tend to disagree. Our world is packed full of things to be afraid of. As a child, we are afraid of the dark or monsters hiding underneath our beds; but, as we grow with wisdom and age, those fears become bigger and more worldly. We fear things like terrorism or illness. The fear that consumes me most is that my best might never be enough.

Sir Winston Churchill, a British politician from 1800’s says “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” Throughout my few years of living, I have learned that everybody is going to fail at something at least once. It is up to you to take all of your failures and turn them into success. It’s not going to only take one day but everyone is destined to be successful.

In the novel life lessons:two experts on death and dying teach us the mysteries of life and living. The novel talks about many lessons such as

“You never realize how good you have it until what you have is gone.” That is the lesson I learned the hard way. Sports have taught me more than I could have ever imagined; however my mind flashes back to one moment quite often. I cringe thinking of the experience and weep at the thought of it happening to my teammates. Experiences contribute to our growth mentally, spiritually, and physically, and I associate a large portion of my growth as an individual and a basketball player to a knee injury I suffered my freshman year of high school.

I come from a family of 7 so growing up, my parents never had money to put their kids through college. Even with money being so tight, my parents pushed me to obtain the finer things in life. They taught me to never live with regret because you only have one life. I want to show my parents that not only did they raise an influential young man, but also someone with passionate ambitions. The only way I know to gain a career beyond my current circumstances is to attend college and earn a degree to obtain a good-paying career. The path to success is not an easy one and I know there will be many challenges for me to overcome but I have lived a life built on challenges. If I work hard enough, then I will be able to accomplish any and all of my ambitions.

Success is something everyone hopes and dreams of having,whether it’s about career, love life, family, etc. Failures in the past also make me want to have success in high school and after that. Being unsuccessful is like losing games to me. I’ve lost so many games in my lifetime, but you won’t win every game. Most of those games motivated me that urge me of having success in the future. I also HATE losing! That will always be at the top of my hate list. Now I may hate losing and hope for success, but if I don’t graduate then I can’t be successful.

Failure to me is more of a meaningful lesson rather than a reason to give up. A temporary detour, maybe, but definitely not a dead end. There's no way to avoid the inevitable so take advantage of it. Welcome failure with open arms. Embrace every loss, every failed attempt, every mistake and learn from it. Most of my lack of success has come from surrendering to defeat or not giving my all, although, in some cases even that wasn't enough. I've failed at relationships, I've failed in school, I've even failed at sports, but in every circumstance I've come out a better person. Perhaps not in that exact moment, but eventually I did. There is one time in particular when failure was a recurring presence and seemed like a challenge I never overcome

Red. The color of failure. When staring at a piece of work that I have worked so hard on, seeing only the red pen marks of my critic can be discouraging, and my strengths can become covered by the flaws in my work. Seeing myself as more than the object of criticism has allowed me to define my own set of definitions for how I want to be remembered. My strengths often outshine my weaknesses, yet my weaknesses can be my motivation for improvement. Failure is not my goal, but it is my motivation to succeed. When it occurs, it is a reminder that I am trying. It is far better to attempt a project but fail than not try at all because, even with failure, there is always success.

Perhaps my greatest source of dedication is also the same whim that has been attacking society: peer pressure. As the only child, my parents adored and even spoiled me; however, they also placed great expectations upon me. At first, my outlook on everything that they have done is trivial, something to account for a circumstance that will never occur. Even as a child, I cannot tolerate the outlook of failure. Every once in a while, I would become despondent from a fault, but I never let it stop me. In my eyes, that one failure is spiting me, and I extend my efforts to accomplish a task just to show myself that it was possible.

I first met addiction when I was 13 years old, although I failed to realize that at the time. Even from a young age, I was the one from the outside looking in. A broken marriage and a lost friendship were forces working against me. And unfortunately, I let them.

My Greatest Failure My greatest failure had led to one of my greatest accomplishments. I hate to look back at the period where I struggled.. From as long as I can remember, I always thought I was never good enough. There was always someone prettier, taller, richer, or more talented than I thought I was.

American high schools have over a million dropouts in a school year. School reform in America has been needed for a long time. America is falling behind in college education because schools are being run as businesses and the government is hemorrhaging money for them.