'local Indian Classical concert' - MIT essay

Tell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something important that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation?(*) (200-250 words)

This had to be my worst performance ever. "I should have practiced harder," I thought to myself. My hands were numb and sweating and my mridangam playing was shaky at best. The vocalist and the violinist were in tune and in perfect harmony while my cacophonous noises perhaps scared some people away. I was playing my mridangam in local Indian Classical concert and I realized my tempo and rhythm were off. It was embarrassing. My persistent trepidation kept me from performing well. Afterwards, people came up to me with smiles and said "Well done, Bharath!" I weakly smiled but I knew they didn't mean that. Needless to say after the performance I was dejected, my confidence to play shattered. That night I went home and after aimlessly browsing the web I came upon a quote by Samuel Beckett, "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." I was irritated. I thought his quote was meaningless and useless to anyone who wanted to succeed. Later, I began thinking of that quote and understood its true meaning-perseverance. Perseverance was key and I spent the next year honing my skills and practicing hard so my confidence was at its highest. I may have failed and not lived up to my expectations but there was only one way to go from there-up. Maybe I would fail but I was sure I would "fail better" and that would be my next point to begin until I reached my goal.

Any corrections (grammatical, content wise, etc) appreciated and harsh but constructive criticism appreciated!

*I knew they didnt mean it *would be better i think"

Maybe consider changing your whole last sentence. Make it clearer ! Otherwise stellar essay. Incredible intro, really.

Thanks so much!