Failure. It feels like the end of the world no matter what it has to deal with- a big test, relationships, college, or just failing yourself. You feel yourself sinking in your own shoes and your bones can no longer hold yourself up. You messed up. You’re messed up.

What are you going to do now?

Cry? Wallow in self-pity? Scream? Run until you can’t feel your legs? Break your mother’s favorite vase?

Go for it. Get all your emotions out. All of them.

And breathe.

Failure is inevitable and honestly, mandatory to succeed. So when you fall, don’t wait for the perfect time to get back up.

It’s never the right time.

There is no right time to start studying for that test. There is not the right time for you to start a better education. There is no right time to be a parent.

There is no right time to start living.

And if you don’t believe me, here are five brutally honest reasons why:

1. No one is 100% ready for life

I know you see that girl every day with her put together planner and her coffee early in the morning, looking so organized and like she has her life together. While your class is at 10 a.m. and you woke up at 10 a.m. Believe it or not, she’s not completely prepared either. She’s probably going to have to make changes in that planner 50 times, so honestly, you two are on the same level in one way or another. It’s OK to be a little messy with your life because your end result will still be a success. How you get there, the steps you take to get there, only make you wiser at the top.

2. Life doesn’t stop because you have fallen

You’re going to fall and you’re going to want to stay down there for a while. But the world will keep moving and eventually, you’re going to have to pick yourself up and say that “Enough is enough. This is my life. So, I’m going to put my foot down and make the best out of it.” Most situations suck, but it’s honestly up to you to look at it realistically. This is the good. This is the bad. And this is what I can take away from all of this.

3. You will make mistakes. A lot of them

You messed up. Good job! No, like really. That’s amazing. Because the more you mess up, the more you’ll learn what to do and how to do it. You’re going to be frustrated and may throw a fit or two, but at the end of it, you’ll have a clearer path to take. Every job you don’t like teaches you what you do like. Every bad grade teaches you what you need to work on and what you’re good at. Every bad relationship teaches you what you don’t want in the right person.

4. You’re going to figure it out

Life is infamous for throwing you into situations you’re not going to be ready for. But you can’t let circumstances defeat you again. Take advantage of the situation. Get the upper hand and tell yourself that you’re in charge. Because once you believe you have control over the situation, you can manipulate any negative situation to positively impact you. You will get better at that one thing. You will love again. You will be happy again. You will thrive again.

5. It’s going to be OK

It really is. And it’s going to take a lot of time. Just live each day at a time. It’s not a lie like telling yourself that “I’m fine.” It’s you telling yourself “I’m not fine but I will be.” And that mindset will help you overcome more things that you could ever imagine.Because you will fall again. And that’s going to be 100% OK because now, you know how to live through it. It’s always easier to beat the monster when you know them personally and who knows you better than you know yourself? You have this under control. Because no matter how much a situation is uncontrollable, you can always control some part of it. And that small part may be the part that gets you through it all.