You Don’t Fail Until You Stop Trying To Be Better

Summary

The article emphasizes that true failure only occurs when one ceases to strive for self-improvement, especially in the context of mental health struggles and self-harm.

Abstract

The article, titled "You Don’t Fail Until You Stop Trying To Be Better," asserts that giving up is the only real failure. It encourages resilience in the face of bad days and setbacks, particularly for individuals dealing with mental illness. The author, drawing from personal experience, highlights that each new day offers a chance for positive change, regardless of past mistakes. The journey to overcome self-destructive habits, such as self-harm, is acknowledged as challenging and lengthy, but the author's own success story serves as evidence that perseverance leads to victory. The message is clear: as long as you keep trying, you have not failed, and each day is an opportunity to do better.

Opinions

The author believes that the essence of failure is not in making mistakes or experiencing setbacks, but in choosing to no longer pursue improvement.
They suggest that each morning brings with it a fresh start, filled with potential and unburdened by the errors of the previous day.
The author shares their personal struggle with self-harm and emphasizes that despite the difficulty, change and success are achievable with continued effort.
They express that the key to their decade-long abstinence from self-harm was the refusal to be defeated by their missteps, maintaining the belief in the ability to do better each day.
The author encourages readers to persist in their efforts to better themselves, assuring them that only when they stop trying can they be considered to have failed.

Giving up is the only true failure.

“There is no failure except in no longer trying.” — Elbert Hubbard

Trigger Warning: Self-harm

“Had a bad day again…” So starts the iconic song by Fuel. It’s one of the songs in the soundtrack of my life.

Bad days are part of having a mental illness. It might be a bad day because you made a poor choice. Perhaps you slipped back into the habit of self-harm, lost impulse control, or gave in to substance abuse.

The weight of your mistake can be crushing. Yet, as bad as it might be, you haven’t truly failed until you stop trying to be better.

Every day is new

Every morning, we are presented with the wonderful gift of a new day. It’s a time to start over and do better than yesterday.

When I was still struggling with self-harm, mornings were bleak and dark. I would wake up to see the results of my work, and be devastated that I had slipped into old patterns again.

It took a lot of time and hard work before I was able to see that each day has its own possibilities. Just because I did something harmful yesterday doesn’t dictate how today will play out.

Every day allows us the opportunity to make choices. Those choices can be completely unique from what happened yesterday.

Keep trying

It took years for me to stop the habit of self-harming. I’d love to say I never feel the urge anymore, but that’s untrue.

It’s been over a decade since the last time I engaged in any type of self-harming activity. That victory brings me a lot of joy. I hope it shows you that change and success are possible.

I wouldn’t be here if I had given up anywhere along my journey. I didn’t let my missteps destroy me. Instead, no matter how many times I slipped, I started the next day with the belief I could do better — be better. In time, I proved that belief was true.

You can do the same. It doesn’t matter what you did yesterday. Tomorrow is a new day. You can do better. You only fail when you stop trying.

Until next time, keep fighting.

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Originally published at https://speakingbipolar.com on July 8, 2020.

You Don’t Fail Until You Stop Trying To Be Better

Giving up is the only true failure.

Every day is new

Keep trying

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