Ok, let’s frame this and put it in perspective. You wanted to do something, and were unable to do it. So you failed to accomplish your mission.
FAILED.
The word that hurts, the thing we all will do anything to avoid. If you’re like me, “I failed…” is like a psychic punch to your soul.
So what does this mean? Does it mean that because you failed to accomplish your goal, YOU are a failure? I would argue no, it most definitely does not. It means you stepped up to try, and you didn’t succeed. You could have done nothing and protected yourself from failure, but instead you chose to try.
There is no shame in that, although in the moment it sure can feel like it. This is how we learn and grow in life. Fail, fail, fail, fail, SUCCEED. Failure keeps us honest and humble, and if we keep trying, we demonstrate that although we are an imperfect human, we have the strength, resilience and tenacity to eventually succeed. We do not fold like a cheap suit. Failure is not about us, it is not personal. It is not a reflection on who we are as humans.
But how we handle failure is a reflection of who we are, failure is our chance to pick ourselves up, learn from our mistakes and grow. Dare to fail, and don’t beat yourself up when you do. OWN IT and move on…