So you failed. You failed the test, you got passed over for your dream job, you got cut from a team, you didn’t get the part after your awesome audition. You’ve failed. You’ve seen it happen to other people, you had heard it could happen to anyone, but you truly didn’t expect it to happen to you. You were prepared for greatness, for thundering applause and mass adoration. You worked your butt off, and now you have nothing to show for it. The simple fact that you failed, that what you wanted more than anything isn’t yours, hurts. You’re absolutely devastated, and all you want to do is wallow in your self-pity and wait for the world to swallow you whole.

But if wallowing was the solution, we’d never get anything done.

Yes, you failed. And yes, it hurts like absolute hell. And you’re totally justified in wanting to take some time to lick your wounds! But you absolutely cannot let this define you.

Take a night to yourself, without a doubt. Cry, eat ice cream, throw things, get sad, get angry! You put your heart and soul into this, and you deserve some time to mourn that. Watch stupid movies, and yell when the geeky girl takes off her glasses and the popular guy falls head over heels for her. Call your mom and cry and scream about how unfair it is because she’ll let you. But take that anger and that frustration, and apply it towards proving everyone wrong. You can do it!

As cliché as it sounds, this happened for a reason. This is going to teach you something--you just don’t know it yet because obviously, you still need to learn it. And this failure? It’s going to make you work 100 times harder for the next chance you get.

Take this time to figure out what you need to work on--a tough scientific equation, the way you speak during an interview, your foul shot, your monologue. Ask for feedback. As hard as it is to reach out to the person who told you that your dream would not become your reality right now, finding out what made them say no to you can be one of the most important steps in moving forward. Take criticism, and use it. Use this failure as a diving board for an unimaginable pool of amazingness--jump into greatness, and greet it with open arms. You can do anything you set your mind to, and you can do it darn well! It’s time to get excited to prove them wrong!

Don’t settle for almost. Don’t settle for mediocre. Don’t accept your fate.