Hey guys! Today we're going to be talking about something a little different from what we tend to lean towards. Part of why, is because this is the 100th POST on The Bible Quizzing Journey blog! Everything I do on this website, whether a blog post or a printable/resource, or a newsletter (psst you can register for that right over here ;)), is based on one thing... Quizzing & living victoriously. ...and I think this is what is going to become our overall, TBQJ "Title of Liberty" (slogan/message) - go ahead and leave a comment, or DM our Instagram account (@TheBibleQuizzingJourney) and let me know what you think about it! So this post, even though this blog has always and will continue to be quizzing-oriented, it can be applied to other areas in life as well - lets do it! About two years ago now, when I was in my third year of Bible Quizzing (wow I feel old... haha), I went through an experience that was definitely NOT fun, but that I learned a lot from, and that I can now appreciate. The whole season was a struggle, really, and I (pretty much) put in as little effort as I possibly could, while still placing well, and getting onto a district team so I could go to the SNU regional tournament. That tournament is probably the worst quiz event I've ever been to. Seriously. I placed second in the round robin. Not too shabby, right? But then I had to compete in the quiz off, in which an individual's skills and preparation are put completely on the spot, because you can't wait around for an easy jump (which is where I had been scoring most of my points). It was a total disaster, and very emotional (unfortunately), because I don't enjoy literally not being able to do as well as I know I am capable of. I don't like failing. Especially when I know that I can succeed, or when I already succeeded in the past. That season didn't really improve at all after that quiz (but to be fair to myself, I was dealing with moving to CO and packing and everything at that time as well :P). Fast forward to the beginning of this season, and I began to realize that my failure in my third year was motivating me to bounce back higher than ever, this year. Instead of saying, "I want to make a regional team this year" I found myself saying, "I HAVE to make a regional team this year." Not to "fix my reputation" did I have this deeply-rooted determination, but to prove it to myself that I still could, and that I could do even better than I had in the past. Moreover, it taught me one (very hard) lesson: you get what you work for, and if through chance you get more than that, it's not real and it doesn't count. The first part of that is more real, though, because the latter end is just an opinion of mine. That being said, it is a good philosophy to remember if you want to learn how to be consistent in your performance, because it causes you to want to work harder for your dream in everyday life. People can succeed right off the bat, yes, but that success rarely ever consistently continues very far into the future. That's why improved consistency is an important result of my failures, because I have more confidence in my performance, no matter what time of the year it is. Also, consistency has it's own benefits in itself, because it stabilizes you at your current level, so that you can focus more on getting to that next level. Here is where I'm going to tell you the "#1 Steppingstone To Success". It's failing. But real quick, let's review what I just told you - I said that through failing in my third year in quizzing, I..
But that's not all that failure does for us. If I had never had a season like that, I would have never been able to appreciate my successes, and understand them, to the extent that I can/do now. I heard someone say once, that "failure is the seasoning that gives success it's flavor" and that's so true! Think about it like this... Once you fail, you immediately reap all of these benefits that I have already mentioned (if not more, of your own!) - so why not fail? If you haven't failed, you're not pushing yourself hard enough. I can say that because I fail... a lot :P and that has taught me to accept, and even enjoy, the process of bouncing back from my setbacks. No, I don't do it perfectly, or anywhere near there, but I do believe that I've learned the lesson of failure, and that I'm beginning to understand it. So here's my appeal to you guys today... Failure is literally the #1 steppingstone to achieving what you want from this quiz season (and this school year), so go out and start failing, in order to reach success. If you give it all you've got, and start running faster than you ever have before, you're most likely to trip every once in a while - but you still get farther, at the end of the day, than those who are safely strolling along. So that's the post for today! I hope that you enjoyed it, and that you pulled out a few pieces that will help spur you on in your Quizzing Journey this season!
Until next time, continue to quiz and live victoriously! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory
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Trending Posts:Author:Mallory is a graduated Teen Bible Quizzer originally from the Southern region, moved to the Northwest, coaching quizzing over the book of Matthew. Check out our
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