Failed at Something? Here's How to Keep Going When You Want to Quit

What to do when you fail

Failure is normal. It happens to everyone, even if from the outside it looks like others nail everything on their first try.

The real goal isn't to prove you're some kind of flawless superhero — it's to learn how to bounce back and keep moving forward.

1. Accept the fact that you failed

You know how many times you've planned something only to watch it fall apart.

If you get stuck in the emotions — the shame, the anger, the disappointment — your brain will keep dragging you back to the same question: "Why did this happen to me?"

Accept the reality: yes, it happened. It sucks, but it's part of the journey, not a final verdict on who you are.

2. Figure out what went wrong

Spend some time analyzing and ask yourself:

• What specifically went wrong?
• What played the biggest role — circumstances or my own actions?
• What can I change next time?

If you skip this step, you'll stay vulnerable to the same thing that tripped you up before.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. — attributed to Einstein

3. Set up a "try → analyze → adjust" loop

You can boil down your approach to failure into a simple cycle:

Try → analyze → adjust → try again.

The point isn't to never make mistakes — it's to come back each time a little smarter and a little better prepared.

Don't throw in the towel or treat failure like a death sentence. It's just part of the process.

4. Don't expect instant results

One of the main reasons people quit is because they don't see results right here, right now.

A few trips to the gym or three days of learning Spanish won't produce a dramatic breakthrough. Progress is happening, but in the short term it's almost invisible.