This blog post was originally published on Madeleine Larmour Blog on 3rd January 2016. Whilst the blog still exists as an archive, I no longer chose to post there and thus have decided to move some of the content here to share with all of you.

So yesterday I talked about why failing sucks. Today I am making the counterpoint that failing is, in fact ok.

Yesterday, I wrote about how failure hurts and we aren’t prepared for failure. To be honest, I still don’t believe we are helped in the journey of how to deal with failure. Failure is always something that will haunt whatever we do. Though I’ve focused so far on only the negatives. The fact of the matter is there are positives in failing.

Failing allows you to take account of everything. It gives you a mostly safe environment. Obviously, there are some situations where the risks of failing clearly outweigh the positives. However, in none high-risk situations, the positives of failing can outweigh the risks.

As I discussed yesterday, I have failed. I live at home with my mum as an unemployed, chronically ill graduate. It’s a difficult thing to find a positive in this but there are some. Positives in failure for me are like a candle in the dark. They don’t brighten everything up but they make it feel a little better. Despite the fact we have failed, we have actually accomplished something. To fail, you have to have had tried something new. You’ve managed to reach out of your comfort zone and admittedly it didn’t work but that’s ok.

Failure is a chance to regroup and reassess everything. It gives you a chance to figure out what worked and what worked and what didn’t. Failure isn’t actually a fail, it’s not a bad thing it’s a chance to learn and grow.

So what have I learnt whilst wallowing in my pit of failure?

I’ve learnt that maybe I’m not cut out for journalism. I’ve realised that sometimes family is the best safety net of all. The final thing I’ve learnt is that even though the future looks rocky and I don’t know when my next paid employment will be, I have all the free time I could possibly want to work on my writing career. I don’t know if it will be successful but it’s the next big risk I’m willing to take.

In all, failing is ok. It’s a mark that proves we were once brave enough to take the risk.