“We always talk about ‘doers’ and ‘dreamers’ but I'd like to give a big shoutout to the ‘tryers.’” Hannah Hart

So you tried your best and did not succeed? (Yes, this is a Coldplay lyric, but it is also a serious question that I am posing.) Now what?

Sometimes, we are used to thinking you either succeed or you fail, there is no in between. But it is not as black and white as we make it to be. But you have to remember to pat yourself on the back just for trying. It is a bigger deal than we make it out to be.

I have learned a lot about this during my freshman year. I would always be upset with myself up if I did not do as well as I would have liked on an exam or project. I felt like I would always try and try and the results I wanted did not show. I talked to a friend about it and she reminded me that just trying is a big deal in the first place. I never really looked at it that way but it made sense. I could have easily given up at any time, but I kept trying.

Let this be a reminder to you when you need it most, trying is not failing. Trying can also be really hard. If you’re not seeing results, you usually just want to give up but you keep pushing yourself through. You preserve to make it through. You are learning more about the task at hand, different approaches to deal with it, and about yourself at the same time.

We also have to remember that great things take time. Nothing worthwhile will come easy to you, unless you are some person with incredibly good luck, kudos to you. If you try and you succeed, be proud of yourself. If you try and you fail, still be proud of yourself.

Certain tasks and subjects come easily to some, but are harder to understand for others and that is okay. It is one of those things that is out of our direct control, but we can try and try. Think about science experiments, think about inventors and think about the failures they have come across. Do you really think iPhone inventors got everything right on the first try? (I mean they can try harder to fix this battery life, but I guess iPhones are still pretty cool). If people never tried, if they gave up after a failure, could you even imagine what the world would look like today?

Failure is not always a bad thing but a chance to grow and learn. Use this as a learning opportunity because there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. Go back to the drawing board and plan accordingly. Find your weak spots and highlight your strong spots in order to go back into your task and accomplish it as you desired. Talk about it to someone you can talk to about anything and ask for help as needed.

Of course, it is great to succeed, to feel like all your work amounted to something. But never underestimate the importance of simply just trying. Your trying shows your determination to succeed and that in itself is powerful and something to be proud of. Trying is an achievement in itself.

Good luck to you in all your endeavors, and always remember to take a step back and give yourself a pat on the back!