The greatest lesson is FAILURE

[TTSD]

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Do you guys believe the greatest lesson a premed could learn is about failure?

I believe in failing, we learn many important lessons about ourselves. What we were doing wrong, what IS wrong about ourselves, what we need to do and where we need to go. I also think the failing teaches another great lesson for a premed which is HUMILITY.

 

[Robz]

a neat quote I remember is

"to be truly successful you need to have at least one good hard failure."

-Walt Disney (refering to the flops of Fantasia and Alice and Wonderland)

 

[Wrigleyville]

I believe in succeeding, we learn many important lessons about ourselves. What we were doing correctly, what IS right about ourselves, what we need to do and where we need to go. I also think the succeeding teaches another great lesson for a premed which is CONFIDENCE.

 

[OrneryOne]

This process is MEANT to be difficult. This is a test of your dedication, determination, perseverance, how bad you want it and how you handle obstacles, set-backs and disappointments that get in the path of your desired goal. All your life experiences contribute to who you are. The ability to accept the challenges and overcome while staying faithful to your goals are important traits in the medical profession and life. I agree that you you can learn from both failure and success or to quote a line from Rudyard Kipling:

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;"

..... you know the rest.

 

[HessExpress]

Do you think it ends with being a premed? Whatever stress you feel now will only get worse as time goes on. You better thrive on whatever emotions you feel now, because they'll be with you for life if this is your plan of action.

You can fail at any point along the way. You can fail in medical school. You can fail as a resident. You can fail during surgery with lawsuits up the ass.

Instead of analyzing the essential qualities of failure, just learn how to get by as a premed.

 

[TTSD]

Originally posted by HessExpress
Do you think it ends with being a premed? Whatever stress you feel now will only get worse as time goes on. You better thrive on whatever emotions you feel now, because they'll be with you for life if this is your plan of action.

You can fail at any point along the way. You can fail in medical school. You can fail as a resident. You can fail during surgery with lawsuits up the ass.

Instead of analyzing the essential qualities of failure, just learn how to get by as a premed.

Ah, I think you're running in another direction here. While you do bring up a valid point about premeds and thinking that failure is the utmost cardinal sin I was discussing about failure as a LESSON.

 

[umass rower]

I think that failure is an important thing to get to know. Not everything in life is going to go perfectly, and everybody needs to learn how to deal with failures. Sometimes you can work off a failure and bring about a success in the end. Occasionally a failure is a sign to just give up. It's something that has to be dealt with, and people can't treat a failure in something as the end of the world.

 

[skypilot]

If you can't deal with failure you will have a tough time the first time you lose a patient.

 

[climberchick]

There are lessons to be learned from both failures and successes. I couldn't agree more. You can not truely know what it is to succeed, if you have not experienced what it is to fail.

Personally speaking, one of the greatest feelings, is to fail at something (Im not necessarily talking school here) and then to turn around, work really hard and then succeed at it. Failure teaches us what is needed to succeed. It gives us enlightenment, and it knocks us off our pedelstals, making us realize were not perfect, no one is.

 

[AspiringDoctor9]

Hi guys,

I totally agree - failure is a part of the learning process. Nobody always has things their way, and as a physician just as in life you have to be prepared for when things turn south. If anyone expects this process to be easy, either you're a genius (and lucky), or you're making things sound way too simple.

One of the doctors at UCSF and I were talking about medical school admissions, and he said that "Medical schools want to see your strength of character. They want to see that when the **** hits the fan, you're not going to turn tail and run. They don't want to train a doctor who will run at the first sight of trouble, but rather someone who is willing to dedicate themselves to their patients everyday for little reward other than a comfortable lifestyle and the gratification of knowing you helped others." -

This totally rings true with me - besides, I also agree with the person that this doesn't end with medical school. Residency, and life in general will toss you some lemons. So guys, totally make some lemonade! =)

 

[Anka]

Just to comment on the point Wrigleyville made: confidence can come from either success or failure. Success, without ever having failed, gives a very brittle self-confidence because it goes out the window the second you fail. Failure in itself doesn't give confidence, but the realization that you can pull everything back together and make it work does.

I'm not suggesting we all go out tomorrow and fail. I will say that someone who has never failed before is probably not testing their limits. Perhaps that's an okay way to go through life -- just get by on the premed requirements, just get through medical school, just get through residency. I'm sure it'll get you somewhere. On the other hand, if the **** was hitting the fan, I wouldn't want you covering my back.

Anka

 

[Nutmeg]

Any person who has never failed either has no ambition, or they are like the man who, after falling off a 100 story building, said as he passed the 34th floor "so far, so good!" I've known quite a few people who felt so great about their many successes, only to not see the pavement toward which they were rapidly hurling.

 

[cad_15]

........Only opposites allows us to understand and appreciate each of them........

 

[Sonya]

'To be born again,'
'first you have to die.
Ho ji? Ho ji!
To land upon the bosomy earth, first one needs to fly.
Tat-taa! Taka-thun!
How to ever smile again, if first you won't cry?
.
.
.

-Satanic verses


yeah, obviously. It doesn't apply just to premeds, I think. I doubt it's the "greatest" lesson. I mean, for some people, it's just obvious... life's given you crap, and you need to deal with it. Others, could definetly use that lesson, though.


maybe the question would be more debated if we asked, "do premeds need to learn about failure more then the general population". Well, yes, you're probably going to see a lot more failure as a physician then in other proffessions. Beyond that, I do not think it would be right to steryotype that premeds are worse at accepting failure then most people. But, it may be true.


More personally, having had great success is what motivated me each day and each hour to hang in there when i screwed up major. It gave me something to look forward to returning to, when life only gave crap.

Just my 2 cents.

Sonya

 

[Soccrtrela]

What a great thread, guys... I have learned this lesson time and time again during my undergrad... life really handed me a basket of lemons in the last couple of years, but when I look back on it now, I wouldn't have had half the strength I do now if it wasn't for these experiences. WORD to you all who have failed, gotten up, and fought harder!!!! :-D See ya in med school

 

[Wrigleyville]

I guess the point I was trying to make was that we should learn from failures, but not worship them. They're still just failures, and are at best just something to measure your successes against.

 

[flyingillini]

Failure usually ends up being a motivator for you. Failures can lead to more success if you learn from your failures and use them in a positive way. Never get down on yourself for failing. There is always a way to succeed in whatever you want, as long as you are breathing.

Someone said something about being humble. Failing definitely makes you more humble. You learn not to take anything for granted, especially if your past failure was due to you taking something for granted.