Watch This if You Feel Like a Failure

This video explores the concept of failure, emphasizing that it is subjective and can be a powerful teacher. It encourages viewers to redefine failure as a learning opportunity and to practice self-kindness in the face of setbacks.

I've been there, you've been there, we've all been there. A big test or competition is on the line, and you know you've put everything you had into preparation, yet you still don't get the result you want. You don't feel good. You feel you've failed. First and foremost, let's define failure. If you're expecting something super clean and clear, sorry to say, it's not. Failure is a subjective thing. Like success, every person defines it differently for themselves. For example, an interesting take on failure was stated by Thomas Edison, who said, "I've not failed 10,000 times, I've successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work." The definition is based on your values and expectations, and it is unique to you. Sometimes, though, we let outside parties like friends or family define it for us. Despite our varied definitions of failure, the one common thing that we all share is that the initial feeling of failing really sucks. So let's look at several ways on how we could change our perspective on failure, take the edge off the sting, and make it work for us. **Number one: Failure is your biggest teacher.** Society really pushes emphasis on success and tends to ignore failure. Think of all the perfect lives we see posted everywhere on social media. However, this does not provide any depth of knowledge, thus benefiting no one. According to research conducted by Madsen and Desai, failure can be your biggest teacher in life. The research found that knowledge gained from failure lasts longer and is often more impactful than knowledge gained from success. This can be illustrated with the flights of the space shuttle Atlantis and the Challenger in 2002. A piece of the space shuttle Atlantis broke off and caused damage, but the damage didn't hinder the mission. As a result, there was little follow-up or investigation following the incident. A year later, during the flight of the space shuttle Challenger, another piece of the space shuttle broke off that was somewhat similar to the Atlantis. But this time, disaster ensued, resulting in the death of the astronauts and the violent destruction of the shuttle. This tragic incident prompted a major investigation, which resulted in 29 recommended changes to prevent future disasters. In essence, failure can really be seen as an alternate term for a learning opportunity. **Number two: Failure teaches you to be kind to yourself.** Let's imagine, what if your life is only made of a constant stream of success? Everything you do or try just falls into your lap, and you've known nothing but riches, wealth, and comfort. You've never had to pull yourself up from an abyss or struggle to improve. When we never truly experience the grit of failure, this encourages taking everything for granted. You don't think; you just float along. Failure gives us the push to re-evaluate the important things in our lives. Who are you, and how do you define yourself? It's a great chance for you to be kind to yourself.