Photo by LIzzy Aguilar

LIzzy at the ice rink practicing figure skating, she is the one in the tan pants and ear muffs.

Mission Hills contains around 2,600 students, everyone having their own story, ambitions, goals and skills. Learning through experience is one of the most reliable means of growth, whether it’s falling down, failing a personal record or attempting to improve by straining your skills to the max; it all ends with the individual learning and therefore improving.
“I felt good and ready, mostly excited. It was a reminder that I’m not invincible. It is a great motivator to keep training so I can actually improve in weight training,” said junior and weight training student Brody Floyd.
Fearing failure is the main feeling to hold someone back from doing their best. Once you enter a state of anxiety, wondering if you can do it or not, your body and mind take great effect on it. It can be hard, but it matters most if you choose to try again or not.
“It took me three years to think I was a good dancer. I have felt like giving up a lot of times when I’d dive into harder choreography and couldn’t do it. I still see myself dancing in the future, I hope to be professional one day.” said junior Zaera Beltran, who enjoys dancing as a hobby.
When faced with something new, we can expect a challenge; although waltzing into it, expecting to become a master immediately, is where some can get too discouraged to continue. This is why the strength of the person’s will is one of the most important factors to learning from failure. Time and effort is what makes mastery that much more satisfying for people. What once was a difficult task becomes a casual stroll for those who continue to push beyond, even after all the disappointment, stress, and fear.
“Oh—this is kinda tricky. I’m still not ‘good’ at figure skating because I’m still considered a beginner. But I can see my improvement in the past year; it took me about eight months to realize I’m slightly over a beginner level. It was discouraging to fail—I saw everyone else around me improving so much faster than me. It all really comes down to patience and being in the ice rink every week, and you really need to stop comparing yourself to others,” said senior and figure skater Lizzy Aguilar.
Focusing on yourself and what you’re capable of creates more confidence, rather than tearing yourself down over what you can’t do yet.