Failure was never a word that existed in my vocabulary. I was, and arguably still am, one of those people who is too competitive for their own good. My dad has always said that second place is the first loser, and that was my mantra. You win. You get the A in that class. You succeed in whatever you do. The funny thing is, life doesn’t exactly work like that. Sometimes your best isn’t good enough, and that’s okay.

1. “Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism.” - David M. Burns

2. “Around here we don't look backward for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” - Walt Disney

3. “For ribbons will fade, and trophies soon grow old. Money's soon spent and fame soon grows old. The important things are not ribbons or pins, and sometimes it's really the loser that wins. The important things are the friends you make, the experiences you take, working as a team, cooperation and dedication. They'll help you become a mighty fine man, they'll do more for you than a prize ever can.” - Unknown

4. “Yea, I’m going to fall down. I’m going to make mistakes. I’m going to do all kinds of things that I wish didn’t happen. But it’s what’s next. It’s how you get back up. Because the more times you get back up, the stronger you are to face the next thing that will happen because that’s life.” - Scott Hamilton

Life can hit you hard and when you least expect it. However, it’s the times when we choose to get back up and try again that define us. When you feel like you’ve failed, don’t stay down. Get back up and face the next obstacle with confidence and a smile.