Bailey McOwens
Griffin Contributor

It’s almost the end of the semester, so I think it would be beneficial if we all, as a group, tried to get in a mindset where we can accept our potential defeats with as little harm as possible. After hours of research and many sleepless nights, I think I’ve finally found a source that can prepare us all for life’s inevitable failures.

Wikihow has a page entitled “How to Accept Defeat Gracefully,” and honestly, after a single gloss-over of the page I knew it was the level I was trying to get on. The “article” lists thirteen steps carefully crafted to help anyone get through hard times. While some are kind of boring and predictable, others are useful in that they simply put into words what you’re feeling and guide you through your emotions.

These thirteen steps are further divided into three parts: “letting go,” “being a good sport” and “moving forward.” In short, Wikihow suggests we all keep perspective, learn from our mistakes, and try harder the next time around; three things I have yet to conquer.

Personally, I’ve been having an awkward time accepting that this is just my life now. It seems like in high school there wasn’t much to lose. If I did bad on a test it was like, “Okay, well, better luck next time,” but now it feels like the end of the world. That freaking test cost me thousands of dollars, and you’re trying to tell me I “failed?” How am I supposed to move past that so easily?

I suppose the fact that Wikihow said it makes it true, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a difficult time accepting my own defeat. I always try to learn from my mistakes, and I move past it eventually, but it seems I always get stuck up on that initial stage, the whole idea of “accepting my defeat”. This is what eventually lead me to Wikihow and therefore the idea of allowing yourself the failures in life.

I know y’all might be learning way too much about me in this article, but I guess I’m writing off of the notion that a lot of other people, especially other freshman, are feeling the same way I am. That’s why I am going to propel the idea of allowing yourself to fail.

As our master, WikiHow, continues to mention to us throughout several articles, from “How to Be Okay with Having a Communist Friend” to “How to Impress Middle School Boys with Your Knowledge of ‘Family Guy,’” “what has happened has happened, and […] your [reaction] will allow you to be flexible and adaptable.” That’s some pretty solid advice to me.

A change in perspective may be the one thing that gets you through a class, or maybe it will open an alternative route for you to follow if things don’t go according to plan. Others react well to a willingness and drive to get through the tough times, and sometimes those people are even in a position to help you.

I think back onto times where I thought I was going to die from how ashamed and angry I felt from a failure. At the time, the only thing stopping me from bursting into tears in the middle of the class was the fact that it would be ten times more embarrassing to do it front of a room full of other fourteen year olds. But now, as I think about more recent defeats, I realize that maturity and awareness has allowed me to roll with the punches.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is, fake it till you make it. Even if you don’t make the “it” you were expecting, there’s an “it” out there waiting for you, you’ve just gotta be willing to adapt.

Well, I hope that helped. I know I’m only twelve years old and have only been in college for like three weeks, but if you can’t trust me, trust the sacred Wiki texts as they will always lead you to greatness. Good luck with the end of the semester to all, and to all a good fight!