What to do when you fail

A few weeks ago I entered my very first fictional writing competition. 
It was a short story competition I found online. 
I wrote a story then and there.
Submitted it and crossed my fingers. 

To no ones surprise, I found out I didn't win or even place in top 3. 
 
Will I ever submit to another competition? Is my writing career over?

You know when you're a kid and you lose? 
It hurts right?
You might cry or be disheartened to never try that thing again.
 
But what you aren't seeing is that invisible growth within yourself. 
I think they call it resilience. 
 
And every time you fail, hear no or fall down, it gets easier and easier to try again. 
 
Rejection is not a new thing for me... I'm an adult. So I didn't cry or feel like I am a terrible writer because I did not win a competition for writing. 
 
But if I had won everything in my life or never heard no, then maybe I'd be balling my eyes out at the news of not winning this writing competition.
 
Instead, I feel... a drive to be better. 
 
Because I know every no and every fail is closer to a win. 
With each "try" you become better at the thing you're trying. 
 
I've been writing stories, essays and poetry my whole life; since I was 6 years old.
 
But now I am actually working to make it a career.
So I'm at the bottom of this journey.
The very beginning. 
 
And when you're at the beginning of any journey, you suck.

• When you start going to the gym, you have bad form and no idea how to use the machines.
• When you start piano, you press the wrong keys and don't know how to read the notes.  
• When you start painting, you don't know how to mix colours or how to layer paint. 
  But slowly, surely you begin to get better each day that you try.

There is no progress without being a beginner first. 

And I know you've probably heard this saying before, but you have to trust the process with anything in life.

What am I going to do?  
 
I'll keep writing. 
I'll keep submitting my stories, essays and poetry to different platforms. 
Not necessarily to win, but to practice my craft.
 
And with each day that I write, I become closer to my goal of becoming a best-selling author.  

If you're working towards a goal, don't picture the end. 
Instead, work towards that goal each day. 
Trust the process. 
 
Because you have to love the journey to get to the destination. 
 
Love, 
Penelope   
Co-Founder of Boring Studios, Writer, Best-selling author in progress