Failure[?]

Failure: "omission of occurrence or performance; specifically: a failing to perform a duty or expected action" (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). I know failure. Specifically, I know the consequences related with failure. Failure to do well as a team in football means you lose the game. Failure to study adequately for a test means you don't do as well as you could have. Failure to turn your applications in on time means you aren't eligible for whatever you applied to. Failure to do what is expected of you means people's view of you changes. I think I am driven many times not by the want to succeed, but by the fear of failing myself and the people around me. I have yet to figure out whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. 

You may be wondering why I chose to blog about this or how this thought came to mind. When I was driving home today, it occurred to me that there was only a little over a month until the Naval Academy's admission decision deadline. I turned my application in last September, and it has been five long months of waiting to hear back. Although I am still confident that I will get an appointment (because if I didn't believe that there would not have been any reason to apply,) I wondered what I would think and feel if I did not get in. I immediately thought of a quotation that said (roughly) "the only real failure is not learning from your mistakes." I believe this, but I found it hard to apply to this situation. What exactly could I learn from not being accepted to the Naval Academy? Before I though about it too much and freaked myself out, I switched thoughts. Now, however, the question is hanging in the back of my mind. I hope it is one I don't have to find the answer to.