The idiom, "if at first you don't succeed try, try and try again," was first spoken to Scottish troops at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314 by the Scottish king Robert the Bruce (Peck, 2020). Legend has it that Robert was inspired by a spider he saw while hiding from his pursuers in a cave. The spider kept trying to make a web and each time it improved on its previous attempt until it finally succeeded. This is exactly what I do with the many drafts of my assignments before I eventually complete the final draft ready to submit. When starting university, it is important to remember that you are not going to nail your assignment in your first draft. We all start with a first rough draft and then reflect on how it can be improved to create the second draft. The most important thing is to produce a first draft and to get the words down on paper so you have something to work with. This procedure continues until we finally have a draft that we hand in before the deadline for grading. This process can take time, which is why it is important to start your assignment as early as possible so that you can complete your drafts and work on them to improve the assignment.
Most importantly, you should not be scared of failure. The highly successful movie franchise Back to the future, which led to a Tony nominated musical opening on Broadway in 2023, was rejected over forty times by studios (Morona, 2024). Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis who produced and co-wrote the three films were rejected many times before Disney finally accepted their movie (Morona, 2024). Success is all about having the right mentality.
Successful people understand that a failure is a chance to more forward, grow, and learn from mistakes. Adopting a fail-fast mentality means allowing yourself no time to play the blame game or dwell on mistakes made. Having the freedom to try new things, experiment and learn from mistakes helps long-term success (Shaffer, 2022). The best lessons I have learned in my academic career have been from mistakes and failures. Sometimes learning the hard way is the best way. It will stick in your memory, and you will never forget the lessons learned.
Improving your academic skills is like walking on stepping stones. Developing good academic skills is like how elite Olympic athletes fine-tune and readjust their techniques for success (Shaffer, 2022). It is essential to view failure in a positive way. It is always a success if you learn from your mistakes and failures. Turn it into a learning opportunity rather than a negative (Shaffer, 2022).
Knowing what success looks like is just as important as knowing what it does not look like. You have to picture what you want to achieve so clearly in your mind that you can frame it and hang it on the wall (Swinson, 2023). Forget settling for good and focus on achieving greatness if you want to excel in your academic attainment (Swinson, 2023).
Having an action-oriented outlook on academic success can help to make things happen and yield positive results (Dobbins, 2024). One of the most valuable lessons I have learned in my academic career is that nobody is perfect and do the best with what you have. Using your own strengths and weaknesses can help to develop academic skills (Dobbins, 2024).
All of these tips and nuggets of advice have been passed to me over the years. Hopefully, they can help you to improve your academic attainment. Hopefully, you can pass these tips on to inspire other learners to do well and aim high.
Reference list
Dobbins, B., (2024). How Arnold’s Mindset Has Helped Him Find Success. Muscleand fitness.com Available from: https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/how-arnolds-mindset-has-helped-him-find-success/ [Accessed 18 September 2024).
Morona, J., (2024). ‘Back to the Future’ co-creator Bob Gale on why Disney rejected script, possible sequel or reboot and more behind the scenes. Cleveland.com. Available from: https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2024/05/back-to-the-future-co-creator-bob-gale-on-why-disney-rejected-script-possible-sequel-or-reboot-more.html [Accessed 18 September 2024].
Peck, T., (2010). Try, try again works for Robert the Bruce 130 years late, The independent. Available from: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/try-try-again-works-for-robert-the-bruce-ndash-130-years-late-1867261.html [Accessed 18 September 2024].
Shaffer, L., (2022). You really can learn as much from failure as you do success. How to be a success at everything. Available from: https://www.fastcompany.com/90761446/you-really-can-learn-as-much-from-failure-as-you-do-success [Accessed 18 September 2024].
Swinson, B., (2023). 7 Mindset Hacks from Visionary Entertainer Arnold Schwarzenegger. Medium. Available from: https://brockswinson.medium.com/7-mindset-hacks-from-visionary-entertainer-arnold-schwarzenegger-e6bb23aa9e48#:~:text=Arnold%20describes%20his%20visions%20as,then%20it%20will%20come%20true. [Accessed 18 September 2024].
