Pondering failure: The good, bad, and necessary
I feel like in every self-help book I’ve come across, one of the main points is that failure is necessary and important in learning what you can do next to succeed. Generally, I agree. But I also think many self-help books come at the concept from a place of privilege.
Image by @theblowup from Unsplash.
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”
I’ve failed a lot in writing. The amount of rejections is staggering. But in the process, I’ve learned what makes my writing better, and how and who to submit my pieces to in order to achieve success. Of course, that kind of failure is lovely. That kind of failure is good and necessary. Then, I think about my day jobs (and the many day jobs, I’ve had).
That kind of failure is terrifying. I think a lot of folks in this regard would say, jump and make the leap, work towards your dreams, etc. But I don’t want to keep doing my day job. Ultimately working in government contracting isn’t my dream. It’s stable and relatively simple and good money. But it’s bad for my mental health, and I worry one mistake will send me toppling. Let’s be real, this kind of writing won’t likely ever earn enough to allow me to achieve stability without a day job. Which is why, in this regard, failure is scary.
I was having this conversation with Sandy last night because I think most people have some sort of safety net. If people lose their jobs, they can usually move back in with their parents or rely on a spouse. I don’t have that. Which is why my day job is so necessary and so terrifying.
This post isn’t to say much. Just to reflect where I’m at mentally. I’ve been trying to write several blog posts this week, but I just want to be human instead of a content creator for a minute. Because my creativity hasn’t been all there, and the mental breakdowns have been immense. Maybe the failure of this sort is necessary; because it allows me and others to see where I’m at.
As always, comment below to let me know your thoughts. And remember to subscribe to my Patreon if you want to read more poems and short stories. <3 Chat soon, lovelies. Hope you’re all well.
