7 Surprisingly Beautiful Things I Learned From Failure

1. If you really want something, failure isn’t going to stop you for long. You’re going to get up and try again. You’re going to learn from whatever mistakes you’ve made. You’re going to grow from your past experiences. You’re going to put even more effort into achieving your goals because quitting isn’t an option for you. You want it too badly to even consider slowing down.

2. No one is immune to failure. You might feel like your failure is a sign you aren’t good enough — but no one succeeds the first time they try something. You might not succeed the second or third time either. The people you admire weren’t born perfect in their fields. They worked their asses off. They didn’t stop until they got what the wanted. They are successful because of their failures, not in spite of them.

3. The biggest critic you will ever face is yourself. For the most part, the people around you will be supportive. They will praise you and encourage you and convince you you can do anything you set your mind to. The person who is going to criticize you the most, who is going to make you wonder whether you’re a failure, is yourself. You have to overcome your own doubts if you want to succeed. You have to learn to ignore the pessimistic voice in the back of your head.

4. Everyone has a different definition of failure. You might consider yourself a failure, but everyone around you might consider you a success. You have to take a moment to ask yourself why you’re being so hard on yourself. Ask yourself whether you would consider a friend a failure if they’ve done what you have done — or whether you would be proud of them. Chances are, you’re being unnecessarily hard on yourself.

5. You’re allowed to wallow in self-pity. You’re allowed to be disappointed in yourself. You’re allowed to be upset about failing to reach a goal you had your heart set on reaching. But only for a little while. If you want to succeed, then you can’t live in the past. You have to focus on the present — and the future. You have to remember that your journey isn’t over. You can choose to keep going. You can choose to give it another shot.

6. You can ‘fail’ in one area of your life and succeed in another. Maybe you’re not making as much money as you want but you’re married with beautiful children. Or maybe it’s the opposite. Maybe you’re working your dream job and have moved into your dream apartment but you haven’t found love. You have to remember that even though you might feel like a failure in one part of your life, you’re succeeding in other areas. You’re not doing nearly as bad as you think.

7. You’re always going to want to take things a step further. After you get a raise, you’re going to want another raise. After you move into an apartment, you’re going to want a bigger apartment. You’re never going to be satisfied. As soon as you reach a goal, you’re going to create another goal, which is why you might feel like you aren’t meeting your goals. But your failure is only an illusion.