Avery K. Tingle, The Gamer Author

Failure sucks, I know. It’s also part of the human condition. To exist means that at some point, you will inevitably fail. Failure can be a debilitating aspect of dealing with your mental health. Nothing drives your Inner Asshole quite so insane as a failure. Your Inner Asshole probably has several phrases you have memorized by this point.

Haha! You suck!
Told you that you were no good at this. You never should have tried.
Maybe you should just kill yourself.

Yeah, the Inner Asshole can be a real monster. Failure feels like you’ve taken it off the leash, and everything it has to say rings true.

Of course, that’s wrong.
Because your Inner Asshole is just that: a prick and a liar. Part of its existence is to wear you down. But the other part of its existence can surprise you.

Here are three ways I’ve learned to deal with failure and that stupid little voice.

1). Counter Your Inner Asshole.

“Haha! You suck!”
“No, I don’t. I just wasn’t my best today.“

“Told you that you were no good at this. You never should have tried.”

“Dude, it was my first/second/third try. I’m still learning. I’m gonna screw up. It happens.”

“Maybe you should just kill yourself.”

“Why would I want to do that?! I MADE MISTAKES. Besides, if I go, you go with me.”

Get into the habit of consciously countering your inner asshole. Speak the words out loud, if you have to (I do). As it becomes a habit, the negativity recedes.

2). Realize That Failure Is Part Of Life

You will not succeed at everything you do. Despite what you see on the news, media, or what have you, there is not a human being on this planet who has everything they want in life. Maybe the experience wasn’t about your success. Maybe it was about your learning something. If you gave your flat-out best effort, and still came up short, then maybe that endeavor isn’t for you. This takes a lot of humility to accept. The idea is to give your best. If you don’t succeed, reassess and move on.

I hold myself to a high (sometimes too high) standard. Combined with the mental struggles I have, failing can be debilitating. This is how I deal with failure and keep going. I hope it helps you.

What about you? How do you deal with failure?

Thanks for reading.

Avery K. Tingle is a scifi/fantasy author currently residing in the Las Vegas area. Owned by two cats, he is passionate about social justice, Star Wars, and mental health. Connect to his award-winning writing and social media here.