Social media has given the world an outlet to showcase the very best of themselves, but what if people also shined a light on the hard times, Bailey asked.

“Failure gives you an opportunity to really share your human experience outside of the glimpses that we show on social media. It gives you an opportunity to be authentic and to say, ‘I have not always been this person, I have not always been successful.’ It really can be a light at the end of the tunnel for someone who is in the season of perceived failure, who feels like nothing is working in their favor right now, but everybody else is winning. Hearing someone say, ‘listen, I might be winning right now, child, but I was eating Ramen noodles just a little while ago.’ Just being able to really be a human and show the entirety of your journey to someone who needs to see it.”

Sharing your humanity can also keep you grounded.

“You have to show it to yourself, too, because sometimes we get comfortable in our successes and we have to look back at what got us there in order for us to really have the momentum to level up.”

Overall, failure does not have to define you.

“It can be a momentary experience,” Bailey said. “And that’s why I say a perceived failure because it only feels like failure when you’re in the moment. It doesn’t feel like a failure when you’ve taken the lesson that came from that opportunity and used it to your benefit. Allow yourself to have the moment and not be stifled by the moment — use the experience to your benefit.”

If you are having trouble making it through perceived failures, Bailey recommends seeking mental health counseling, consulting with a life coach and surrounding yourself with a positive network of supportive friends and family.

failing up

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