There’s no such thing as failure

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Welcome to Creatives Anonymous, a weekly newsletter that explores what it means to be a modern-day creative through essays, interviews, and commentary.

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Failure is the biggest blow to the ego that anyone can face. 

When we fail, we feel embarrassed, ashamed, and worthless. We feel like a sell-out and a quitter. We feel like there’s something wrong with us, especially when others see the success we’ve worked so hard to achieve. 

We feel like we’re duct-taping something together to try to make it work, but it leaves us feeling mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially exhausted. We’d rather be unhappy, uninspired, and stressed because we’re too proud to admit defeat. 

There comes a point when we must recognize that we’ve failed and when it’s time to cut our losses and move on.

And it’s probably one of the hardest truths to admit to ourselves. 

Yet, it’s also one of the most courageous acts we can do. Accepting defeat isn’t easy. It means putting our ego aside and being humble enough to know we’ve reached our limits. 

It’s not for lack of effort, work ethic, or patience, but because the odds aren’t in our favor. And that’s ok. 

Sometimes you take things as far as you can in this season of your life. And we all know when that point comes. 

It’s the point where no matter what you’ve tried, you can’t seem to make anything work. You’ve given it your all, leaving blood, sweat, and tears on the table. Everything seems hard and misaligned. Everything drains you, and nothing excites you anymore. And worst of all, you feel so lost that you can’t find your way back. 

No one wants to fail. We all want to succeed in every endeavor that we pursue. But it doesn’t always work that way.

Sometimes, it just means there’s a different path in store for us. And often, failure is the universe (or God) saying it’s not for us right now or in this capacity.

When we start to see failure as an opportunity rather than a limitation, we can use it as a tool for growth. It’s not a matter of how often you fail but how you frame it. 

Failure is the catalyst that forces us to pivot onto a different path. It acts like a nudge, moving us back in the right direction. It forces us to stop playing small, break the status quo, and make the change to reach our fullest potential. It’s giving up what we thought we wanted for what we actually need. 

It becomes less about quitting and more about pivoting. 

It’s being brave enough to forge a new path for ourselves, which allows us to align with our true selves and the path we’re meant to take.

As the phrase goes, “be rigid about your goals but flexible about your methods.”

Even when we don’t take the path we think we’ll take to reach our goals, it doesn’t mean we won’t. It just means we take a different route to get there.  

Failing gives us a new perspective and, often, a fresh start. 

It gives us a chance to re-evaluate what we really want. It’s a chance to shed who we were in favor of who we could be. It allows us to get out of our rut and get unstuck. 

Accepting failure allows us to open ourselves to new challenges and opportunities, regain our mojo, and feel inspired again. We breathe a sigh of relief and feel a sense of clarity and inner peace because, more often than not, it’s the right decision.

We should never consider failure as wasted time, but rather be grateful for our successes in our endeavors and for everything we have accomplished. 

Every moment, every experience, is a lesson. Everything you did was to set you up for the next stage. You couldn’t pursue the next chapter without everything you’ve experienced in this chapter. 

If we weren’t ready, we wouldn’t have the opportunity; if we weren’t capable, we wouldn’t have the desire. 

As Kenny Rogers sings, “you’ve got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, know when to run.”

Creative Corner

• 🎞️ What I’m Consuming: Nonnas on Netflix.

• 💡 What I’m Loving: Challenging myself to beat my stair stepper goal each time I do a workout on it

• 🎨 What I’m Working On: Some fun personalized gifts for friends moving away.

• 💭 Weekly Musing:

Thank you 💕

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I’m so grateful for all of your support!

Alexa Phillips is a writer, brand strategist, and multi-passionate creative. She is the founder of Bright Eyes Creative, a Seattle-based brand consultancy and media company that helps founder-led consumer brands and creatives design brand experiences and media.

Where to find me:

• Learn more about my services 

• Listen to my recent podcast episodes.

• Follow along as I build Culture Slant, a new magazine + podcast at the intersection of brand, marketing, media, culture, commerce, and technology.

• Join Write Club, free weekly 90-minute co-writing sessions dedicated to helping you knock out all the content you have to write for your business.