To ask you for your 'best' failures?

[PollyPepper]

I'm feeling really fed up and dissapointed in myself.

I was put on an important pass or fail course for work and had the first assessment (driving) on Friday. I failed.

I'm being put back into it next month as I was so close and just made a silly mistake, but until then I have to go back to work tomorrow and am feeling ashamed and embarrassed to be going back having not passed.

I keep hearing that a failure is the pathway to success blah blah blah, so thought I'd reach out to the wonderful MN masses to offer me your most useful failures, the ones that in hindsight you can see some positives from.

Anything at all would help at the moment!

Don't be annoyed with yourself. At least you had the balls to give it a go, and if you can take the assessment again, you're likely to be better prepared and know what to expect. You'll also feel better once you've told others and got your embarrassment out of the way. We all mess up, many of us lots and lots of times. You really won't care about this in the future.

Thank you @Bookridden that's such good advice

I applied for a job in March 2019 that would have been a big promotion. Got down to the last two but didn't get it. Gutted.
Twelve months later, I got a different job - step up (although not quite as great) but I really love this job, happiest I've ever been at work, learned so much. I know that when / if I decide to go for the next step up in the future, I'm in a much stronger position.

Failure is a horrible feeling at the time but it has a much bigger impact on you than anyone else. It will be ok.

I failed a uni exam which meant I had to repeat the year. For a break I decided to have a year out which was wonderful, I ended up getting a fantastic job abroad. I'm so happy I failed that exam, but it was awful at the time.

Oh wow these are so helpful

I had worked in an office for about 12 years, mentored people, been a deputy, done a lot of things including a development course (250 places and over 5000 applicants and I got through the tests to be picked), but found I was often ignored in latter years in favour of "yes people". I'm more of a "well, yes, but wouldn't this make more sense?"

A new office was opening so I got involved in setting it up, then volunteered to go over. I thought this would be a fresh start and my chance to shine. One of the yes people was then selected to go over and, despite all my work, was picked to be the deputy. I was gutted and spoke to the manager about how I felt. The deputy was in charge of how we worked which frustrated me as every suggestion I made was knocked back as it wasn't the way things are done. I ended up leaving and going back to my original office, in a role I hated, but at least was with my friends again.

I hated the job so much that I applied for anything and everything I could, just to leave. I ended up getting 6 interviews of which I went to two due to timings, but got offered both jobs, plus another one which was the one I accepted, purely cause it was the quickest one. I absolutely love my job now. My manager gives me total autonomy and is on board with suggestions I make. We weirdly think in a very similar way, to the point where we have finished each other's sentences when planning things.

When I look back about how shit I felt 8 months ago, crying in the work toilets kind of shit, to how happy I am now, it seems crazy. I am so glad I had that absolute soul crushing disappointment otherwise I would never have left and found a job like this.

@Athenajm80 thank you so much for sharing, I'm pleased you're now happier. I guess sometimes it takes us being miserable to give us that kick up the arse we need??