Which failure taught you the most? What did you learn from it?

I failed to get into med school – in some ways I sabotaged myself, in others my grades or what have you weren’t good enough. By the time I found out, I was no longer interested in becoming a physician but I learned, after many years of obsessing about medical school, that a person can waste a lot of their life focused on something they only superficially want or on something everyone expected of them.

The occasional greater success of others.

I don’t think I’ve ever “failed” at anything…things just didn’t turn out the way I expected them to, so I had to change course.

When my marriage went down the pan I learnt never to put my trust in women! :-/

My failure to attain an erection after I’d already paid the prostitute. It taught me not to buy a poke in a pig.

Probably the failure that’s quickly approaching.

My almost obsessive obsession with the first girl I had a huge crush on.
I would try to be nice to her and do things for he and she broke my heart so now I treat them like shit and they love me.

My first marriage “failed” after a little over a year. I felt like a giant failure. I learned a few major lessons:
1) You shouldn’t stick with something awful just because you don’t want to look like a failure.

2) Out of failure can come spectacular triumph. I became a much stronger individual and I ended up with a much, much better husband…ten years later.

3) You can’t judge all future circumstances on the experiences of the past, but you can compare them.

I have failed at nothing. I don’t like that word.

I have not accomplished goals that I have set out to do.

The failure of any success-oriented thinking.

I like to track for repetitive patterns. And one I seem to have, and maybe others too is that… we focus on one future tangent as a success. Discarding every other possibility as a failure.

Searching for success, therefore, I’ve learned that success is in each step you take and not in the end goals. Because they may not be exactly what you thought they would – no matter what you do. But that doesn’t mean you should stop doing what you’re doing. Instead, consider yourself successful if you are. And happy for being able to…
We can do our best to prepare for our wished direction in life, but nobody knows if it’ll pan out in the specific – tangent-like way that most people lock their eyes to.

@phoebusg My way around that was never to have any particular goal. Not that that helped me, but still, things would have been so much worse if there had been anything specific I hadn’t done.

@wundayatta it helps to have goals, good if there’s more than one. Or if they’re open enough and able to adapt. This sets you up for open expectations instead of closed – but also motivates you to do what you like doing. Enjoy the process, not what may come out of it – that is in the end somewhat irrelevant. And often if you really enjoy the process, something good will come out of it.

@ChazMaz @Val123 I couldn’t agree more.

There are various times in life where I felt like a failure, but looking back I dont feel as if I failed at anything at all. If anything life will teach you that you can’t always get what you want and that idea will challenge you to make the best out of given circumstances, if not better.

After failing a course I decided to switch majors. This adds time onto my estimated time of graduation, but in the long run I know I’ll end up in a career that I’ll love and enjoy. So in reality, I think I may have lost the battle but won the war.

If there’s anything to be learned, it’s that so called “failure” is just another challenge put in perspective. Don’t ever give up and even if you dont end up where you expected, perhaps you’ll end up somewhere better and more fulfilling.

Without getting into alot of detail,last year around this time I could barely walk.It taught me that nothing is permanent,don’t take your health for granted and that life is too short.I am much better now and can still kick some ass ;))

I tried to do a plumbing repair. I tore up the fixture and made a big mess. I memorized the plumber’s number.

Despite my agoraphobia (and other various social issues), shortly after my 24th birthday I packed my whole life into four boxes and two backpacks. With $1000 in my pocket I moved all by myself from the place I was born to the west coast where I knew nobody and had no job lined up. I lasted for six weeks before my choices were a.) return to the east coast or b.) kill myself. I bought a 30-year-old car for $400 and drove back across the country (again, all by myself).

I learned:
– I can suppress my panic attacks much better than I thought.
– The west coast is soul-sucking.
– It’s okay to fail.

I’m a firm believer in accepting failure. Once you get past the humiliation part, it’s really just a learning tool. Failure to me means trying something outside your comfort zone.

The belief that love can make anything possible. I was in my mid 30’s, divorced and a few relationships down the road when I got seriously involved with an alcoholic and drug addict. We lived together several years (5+) and in all that time I knew the person loved me and would eventually pull themselves together for “us”. They only grew more bitter, depressed and destructive as the years passed, so much so that I became depressed and hopeless my life could ever again have the heights of joy I’d experienced before. Finally I got out and have regretted it, even got brave enough to let love in again. It’s a wild ride.