If there is anything I have learned from being a writer, it’s to accept failure.
Well, not necessarily failure. Just the bad things. Bad articles, bad days and bad moods.
Sometimes, I write really good articles with ease. I can just sit down at my laptop and write a 2,000-word article on vaping-related illnesses (slight plug for my article in Issue 5) without even thinking about it.
Other times, I struggle to write a story for weeks on end. This can be really frustrating when it’s a story I’m really passionate about or one I really wanted to write.
That’s the case with my article on Renee Laufer in this issue. I spent weeks with that article, letting it sit with my brain, waiting for some sort of revelation to overcome me that would produce the greatest feature article ever written.
Finally, the day my rough draft was due, I gave up and sent it in, knowing that it was far from my best work.
The article ended up turning out great. All I needed was a little guidance and acceptance that not everything I write, or do for that matter, is going to be the best it could be the first time around.
Life is unpredictable, and writing has shown me that.
A few weeks ago, I overslept for my 9 a.m. History Without Borders class because I had been up late studying for a pretty big exam the night before.
Now, this may seem like it’s not a big deal on the surface, but I have Dr. Holbrook, and a huge part of Dr. Holbrook’s class is the “Reacting to the Past” simulations in which the class acts out certain events in history.
During this particular week, we were in the middle of one of these simulations, and attendance is very important during simulation weeks.
In an effort to explain what had happened, I went to her office shortly after the class ended.
As soon as I stepped foot in her office, I started crying.
Being the wonderful human she is, she sat me down and helped calm my anxiety, but that isn’t the point of this story.
The point is that sometimes, you make it to all of your classes on time and have the perfect day with no hiccups.
Other days, you oversleep and end up crying in your professor’s office, forget your textbook at home and by default can’t do your homework and end up eating Ye Old Sweet Shoppe cookies for lunch with your friend in the Knight office. Life is all about balance
I’ve noticed that I’ve learned to accept the bad things this semester and not let them affect me so much.
I don’t know how this happened, but somehow it did, and I’m happy for it.
It doesn’t mean that I don’t get worked up about things.
It just means that when I do, I step back and realize that one bad day, one bad article or one bad mood isn’t going to ruin me.
I’m still as successful as I can be at this point in my life, and the bad things just make me stronger.
So, if you find yourself dwelling on a failed test, a missed homework assignment or a bad day in general, just know that it isn’t the end of the world.
You can cry about it, but at the end of the day, you’re still successful, and you still deserve to be proud of yourself for getting here.

MADDY BRUCE
[email protected]