Two BYU–Hawaii students and an alumna share that growing from failure means becoming better version of yourself
While most people tend to avoid failure at all costs, three BYUH students shared the opposite opinion saying they have grown from failures, learned how to work with other people, became more Christlike and changed their perspectives on what failure actually entails.
“Failure leads to a stronger perspective, a more beautiful place because you learn from it,” said Yu “Bruna” Yamamoto, a senior majoring in social work from Japan. “Don’t run away from [failures]. Face it and learn from it,” she shared. She explained failure is a human-made concept, where it is a word humans made to describe a mistake. “But it is actually a lesson where you can learn and grow and become a better person–a greater version of yourself,” she stated.
Failure and becoming humble
Yamamoto said growing from failures makes an individual humble. “You learn from it and keep going,” she said. She recalled the time when she failed at her very first job. “My English was not good enough, and I didn’t know anything about the Polynesian Cultural Center. That’s why I didn’t get in the first time as a tour guide,” Yamamoto said.
“But I knew in my heart I wanted to be a tour guide,” Yamamoto explained. She said failing to get hired the first time as a tour guide gave her the chance to work at the school cafeteria for nine months and become a ticket taker for PCC for seven months. “After [more than] one year, I eventually became a tour guide,” she said.
She said being able to experience other work before becoming a tour guide led her to meet people who helped her along the way. “They helped me have the courage to try one more time [as a tour guide],” Yamamoto said. Although she was devastated by the first rejection, Yamamoto said she learned everything happens in its own time. “I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I didn’t fail,” she said. She said not being able to get in the first try as a tour guide at PCC led her to appreciate what she went through and what she has now. “I experienced different jobs, which led me to understand there is timing for all things,” she said.
“I can relate to other people. I have empathy for people who have the same experience as me,” Yamamoto said. She emphasized it is a gift to understand someone else’s pain. “Not many people can do it,” she said.
Failure and becoming hopeful for the future
Aaron Joseph Badinas, a senior from the Philippines majoring in accounting, said growing from failure means having hope there are good things ahead of you. “You are willing to get up whenever you hit a wall or whenever you stumble,” Badinas added. He said it is easy to lose hope when you fail. However, he explained people can get sad a bit when they fail, but they will grow from it. “It doesn’t mean it won’t happen again, but you’ll know what to do next time,” he shared.
“You can’t be the best without failing first,” Badinas said. He explained if you have not failed yet, you have not learned from life yet. “No one in this world is destined to be perfect, so make the most mistakes in life as you can and grow from them,” he added.
Badinas stated there is a difference between making the most mistakes then growing from it and just making the most mistakes. “If you keep making the same mistakes all over again and not learning from it, then you’re not growing, but if you made a mistake and learn from it, that means you’ve grown as a person. It made you stronger and resilient,” he shared.
He talked about failing an accounting class, and it “made me think, ‘Is this really the program for me?’” Badinas said. He said it made him feel sad when he realized he failed the class. “I thought I was already a genius, an intelligent person because I came to BYU–Hawaii with just my first try,” he shared. Badinas stated he was lucky enough to be part of the higher educations sections when he was a child. “It made me feel chosen,” he added.
He said failing a class made him question his purpose and confidence. “I didn’t want to do my best anymore because I felt like my best was never enough [for the program],” Badinas said. He shared he became complacent after that incident. “I was too comfortable to just pass and get a C, which I regretted because I know I could have done better—studied more and played less,” he explained.
However, he said he learned if you chose to do something and you commit yourself to it, then you go forward with it, learn from your mistakes and then leave the feeling [of sadness] behind, he explained. Badinas said there are degrees of his feeling of failing. “I did not completely overcome it, but I just learned to forget it, learn from it and move on,” he said.
“When I failed the [accounting] class, I called my mom cause it kept on bothering me. I thought she’s gonna be mad but she said, ‘It’s okay. Just do your best [next time]’,” Badinas shared. He said he has someone so significant in this life who comforted him during those troubling times. “It kind of hits me like, ‘Oh, it’s okay to make mistakes.’ It gives me more motivation to get back up again,” he explained.
Badinas said the failures he encountered led him to appreciate collaboration with other people. “I learned that it’s okay to ask for help from other people. It’s okay if you’re not the smartest in the room. You just need to find resources that are accessible for you to use,” Badinas said. He said it is one of his definitions of success. “Success means being better than who you were yesterday,” he added.
Failure and becoming more Christlike
“Growth doesn’t mean you have to get back up and be the best [right away],” said Jaleh Pahio, an alumna of BYU–Hawaii from California. She emphasized people usually confuse growth from success. “It’s like, ‘Oh, I’m in a bad spot right now, and it’s only gonna be worth it if I succeed or overcome this’,” she added.
Pahio said growth from failures means having patience and taking the time to understand yourself. Growing up, Pahio said she had a lot of health problems. “Although I’m the oldest in the family, I am the weakest,” she stated. She said she assumed she would never be able to do things physically. She added before coming here at BYU–Hawaii, she was studying animation in BYU in Provo. “I was also in a relationship and I was dealing with an eating disorder. I just feel like the Spirit has been telling me that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be,” Pahio said.
Success means being better than who you were yesterday.