Say it loud, I am back and I am proud

Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional. Roger Crawford

Momma used to say, "If you live long enough, you will fail at something. How you deal with it, will determine how well you live."
If we are growing, we are failing at something. And not finishing first, not doing our best, not meeting our own expectations can be personally painful and deflating. One of the most difficult words in the English language can be the word "almost". I almost got the job. I almost passed that difficult test. I almost got into the school of my choice. I almost married the man or woman of my dreams. Almost, almost, almost.
The true test of our failures is how we bounce back. How we get back on our feet and step back into the life game. Truer yet is what lessons we bring with us as we step back in. Here are some tips for dealing with failure.

If millions of others have gotten through failure, so will you. Don't let
ideals of perfectionism stunt your growth and do not compare yourself to success
stories; those success stories contain many failures that never get spoken
about.

Don't let failing bring you down. If you were determined and you failed, try
again. A man who fought failure all his life but will always be remembered for
his tenacity and endurance is Winston Churchill. He once said, "Success is the
ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm". And he
lived out that belief despite tremendous odds.

Count every trial as an act of courage, a small success in itself. Building
persistence can accomplish enormous things and turn all the failed trials along
the way into minor successes. A writer seeking to get published could pin up
every rejection slip as proof that they're a real writer, doing the job the way
the job really works. A successful sales representative looks at the proportion
of successes to failures and gets used to "No" most of the time as just part of
the job.

Don't expect overnight miracles to occur. You can't get over a huge setback
fast but you can care for yourself while you mend and not dive deeper into
despair. Remember that you're not the first to fail, you won't be the last, and
you will bounce back again if you allow yourself. Yes, it is a choice to make,
so choose to come back stronger.

Lists and goal journals are really helpful for some people when failure
seems to happen often. If failure derails your thinking processes and leaves you
feeling anxious, use such props to steer you back on course again. There is no
shame in using them, nobody expects fast and organized thinking to happen all of
the time, and for some people it's overwhelming to be expected to always think
like that. Organize yourself well and things will seem less arduous to tackle
when you get back on your feet.

Don't take it as your failure if something was dependent on other people's
decisions and actions. If your project didn't get accepted and was a good
project, it still is a success. Many people fear "failure" in situations that
are so unpredictable success and failure don't apply to them at all.

And if ever you find yourself thinking self-piteously: "I wish I were as
lucky as X", remember that luck is for leprechauns. Life is about good
management, not luck.

Step back a bit, give yourself some breathing room. One thing that can help
cushion failure at something large is to do some small, easy things that you
know you'll succeed in, whatever they are. Steady, slow progressive success at
something else, like learning to draw and not expecting a masterpiece but just
to succeed at "draw something every day" or an easy exercise regimen like "walk
daily at the most convenient time" can help to cushion the failure of a large
project.

The most important thing is not the fall but how you get back up~

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