We don’t always get to decide when we fail. We just have to live through it. Say, for instance, it’s your first day at a new job. You worked unbelievably hard to get here, and you feel like you’re punching above your weight. You buy a new blazer just for the occasion. You couldn’t sleep the night before, due to a mix of anxiety and anticipation. You wake up, get your clothes on, and listen to your special confidence mix on the way to the office. You get there, and it’s a big glass door, and everyone is inside waiting for you. 

Except that you don’t know it’s a glass door. You’re so blinded by excitement that you confidently walk straight through it. The glass is strong, so it knocks you back on your behind. The shockwaves of embarrassment cover up the radiating pain from your cervical spine. You’ve done it. You’ve failed. You didn’t think you were going to. You can stand up and brush it off, but it will be a couple of hours, days even, before you can truly move on.