The risk of embarrassing ourselves further prevents most people from communicating their failures but communicating them can be beneficial. Not only can it ease our worries about our failures but it can also strengthen the bond between our friends and classmates. Our failures are the cornerstones of our personalities. Without failure we learn nothing. But the way we retaliate from our failures is a choice the reflects the way we go about our lives. Do we hide in the shadows, waiting for them to pass or do we face them head on, fearlessly.
— Sam Martin, Hoggard High School, Wilmington, NC
When I was ten years old, my father accidentally overdosed and passed away very unexpectedly; I questioned “Why me?” “How is this possibly in God’s plan?” and “Why so soon?” for many years. But, eventually I realized that the resilience my father carried was admirable and was my driving force to quit dwelling on him being home but to celebrate his time here. Not only do I believe that resilience is necessary but I also realize that becoming resilient is difficult. Dwelling is the easier road; but, resilience is the right road.
— Truli Bates, Bryant, Arkansas, Bryant, Arkansas
I tend to be fairly resilient when it comes to dealing with embarrassing failures because I usually forget about these incidents a few days later. However, this past October, I dealt with too much failure. Not necessarily failure that makes you feel embarrassed, but failure that makes you feel disappointed and/or hopeless. By the end of the month I couldn’t hold myself together any longer and had a panic attack. During my panic attack I was in a state of extreme shock; I couldn’t speak, and I was shaking and sweating uncontrollably. The day after, I stopped eating and putting effort into my appearance. I gained a lot of acne due to the amount of stress I was dealing with, I never left my house unless absolutely necessary, dark circles formed under my eyes, my skin became more pale, and I physically became sick. I never really talked to anyone about my situation, because no one truly cared. Over time I was able to pull myself together and get my life at least partially back on track. I feel as though it is better to overcome obstacles alone because it make you stronger and prepares you for the next failure.
— Whitley Johnson, Hoggard Highschool, Wilmington NC
The challenge of admitting defeat and sharing your struggles
I would say that I am not a very resilient person. I try my best to produce perfect assignments and face all challenges with an open mind but sometimes, things do not go as expected and I am left with a feeling of failure. I agree with the article that when I do mess up, instead of learning from that experience, I try my best to cover it up or, forget about it completely. I admit that instead of talking about my mistakes, I try to internalize it so that I won’t look unprofessional or dramatic.
— Abbie, Hoggard High School, Wilmington, NC
Be resilient can be very difficult. I don’t really know how resilient I am. I’m someone who can be very sensitive. Where something hurts me a lot happens, very likely to cry, that’s the way I am. If I’m mad, sad, afraid or even exhausted, I will cry. Otherwise I’ll act like I don’t care, because I really don’t. I always try to act like I’m strong outside, in front of my family or my friends, and sometimes It works. The worst is when they understand that something is wrong, because at that moment I literally blow it.
How resilient am I? A very difficult question! Every situation is difficult to handle for example every failure, rejection … Most of the time I just try to forget or just keep smiling. All I do is cry behind this smile and try to act like I’m strong outside but in fact it’s just a mask and i’am weak and just need help. But i’am always positive and just keep breathing! And I think the best solution is to talk and stay strong because your not alone! Don’t forget to talk to your mother or your father or your dog
I consider myself resilient when dealing with obstacles or failure, but only in the moment. I tend to disregard problems when they arise, and somehow find a way to quickly get around them, or just ignore there is an issue all together. This works fine until my oblivion gets the best of me; and I find myself drowning in the challenges I once laughed off, however this time they are not as funny.
