Failure has a fluid definition; it means something different to everyone. Failure can mean non-fulfillment, not succeeding, or as Dictionary.com puts it, an insufficiency. But those definitions are not always accurate in life. Failure is necessary; everyone fails in some shape or form. Even some of the most successful people in our society have hit low points, too.

Someone once fired Oprah from a television job for being too emotionally invested in her stories. Walt Disney was fired for lacking imagination and creativity. Steven Spielberg was rejected from cinema college; Thomas Edison was told he was too dumb in school; J.K. Rowling was living on welfare when she wrote the first Harry Potter book.

Similarly, my first semester of college, I failed biology. (Actually failed, not just by societies standards, but by my grade too.) Later on, I failed to hear back from countless job applications I sent out. I didn't make a great score on a test that I thought determined my future. These were all failures in my eyes. It wasn't until recently that I realized failures in life can be lessons, if we let them.

I think that is why failure is important. Failure teaches us what to value, and guides us on a path to something better. Failure shows us that even if we didn't achieve what we wanted, we can accomplish something even greater. If I hadn't failed biology my freshman year, I wouldn't have worked as hard as I have to make better grades. If I had heard back from the jobs I thought I really wanted, I wouldn't be at my amazing job today. If I would have done better on that test, I wouldn't be working toward the goal I am now. Failure has helped create a path to a life that I love.

I am a big believer in everything happening for a reason. A door closes so another can open. Failure is just one of those doors closing, with the potential to open a door better than before. Just because the door you wanted didn't open, does not mean you have failed. Just like there cannot be good without bad, without failure in life, there would be no success.

The true definition of failure, is giving up. In life, the way we respond to not achieving a desired result means more than simply not achieving that result.

So, when you feel like you're failing, just remember this: Oprah, one of the most well known talk show hosts of all time, is now worth $3 billion. Walt Disney went on to create the most popular theme park in the world, and many of the stories that shaped our childhood. Steven Spielberg has won countless awards for his movies, Thomas Edison held over 1,000 patents for his inventions, and J.K. Rowling became the first billionaire author in 2004.