The new fall 2013 semester has begun for schools and colleges worldwide. Particularly at Mississippi State University, where fans dust off their cowbells and everyone catches up with their friends. The undeniable fact is that, for most people in Starkville, MSU is the place to be. With all of the wonderful social events and extracurricular activities, one’s life can be filled with friends and obligations in less than a day without stepping foot into a classroom. But education and success is what college is all about.
It is now the third week of the semester, about the time both students and faculty start to feel the workload of the semester kicking in. Students stress to get that last minute paper in, and faculty tends to their other duties when they aren’t working with students. In another few weeks, some students might begin to wonder if the major they chose is right for them after all. Others may be discouraged because they can’t quite get that A on the test, and some might be wondering what’s keeping them from beating their friends on that Xbox 360 game.
In today’s society, there’s no doubt we like to live life in the fast lane. Most students are in college because the idea was planted in their mind since before they could remember. In most cases, college is known to be the key to success. Anyone could say college has high standards. Everything seems to rest on how good of a student someone is or how one person can make themselves stand out in the midst of a thousand more just like them. It is understandable how these ideas can be terrifying, especially when so-called “failure” is frowned upon. In this kind of lifestyle, it’s very easy for students to get discouraged if they don’t start succeeding right off the bat. And, especially for fairly new students, it’s easy to feel a sense of fear and convince themselves that packing up and starting over is the best option.
Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” People throughout history faced the same exact problems. Even though they might not have faced the same kind of obstacles college students typically do, they experienced enough to voice their opinions on the matter to inspire younger generations. But today’s society has heard “words of wisdom” so overused to the point that it is easy to dismiss them. Sometimes it helps to look at an interesting quote from a perspective that applies directly to the lives of each individual.
Looking at the quote from this perspective, it’s a lot easier to understand where Churchill was coming from when he talked about “the courage to continue.” We hear the key to success is to keep trying all the time, but have we ever considered that it is sometimes necessary to fail before we can succeed? For example, maybe a student has to fail to have a passion for their current major in order to make the decision to change to something they do have a passion for. It’s that simple. The idea isn’t new by any means, but most people tend to downplay failure in general. The suggestion that “failure is not fatal” means, even if it seems like it at the time, failing at something is not the end of the world. It’s more of a learning experience.
Churchill’s quote clearly begins with the last stage of success, and it is easy to see why. People in general see success as a promise. We are so focused on success that once we have it, we stop. Before long, we take it for granted because we think it will be there forever. Society often misleads others into thinking that if they work for success, it’s theirs. They earned it, they keep it. The idea that success is not permanent is, therefore, more of a blow than an inspiration. But this idea is something that members of society, particularly upperclassmen and the working population, have to watch out. Regardless of the way a quote is formed, it all winds down to the same idea. As long as we keep trying, we always have a chance at success.
Last spring, MSU had the honor of welcoming former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to campus. During her speech, she mentioned that she started out as a piano major in college, but realized in her later years that it wasn’t the most practical road for her.
“Remember, at your age, I was a failed piano major,” she said.
She was later inspired by politics and decided to give it a try.
She had no idea that years from then, she would sit with President Bush at the White House.
Many students’ eyes narrowed in thought when she closed with this honest quote. Rice still gives inspirational speeches across the U.S., but this quote is one that students who attended the speech are most likely to recall. And for some, it could very well be one that students might not want to forget. Success almost never comes right away, but if we continue, it’s worth it in the end. So whether it means switching majors or just a few more minutes of practice time each day, go ahead. It’s all in the process.
