ADVERTISEMENT

They say you miss every shot you don't take. But not all of the ones that you do end up on target, either. So in order to not get carried away and keep ourselves grounded, let's take a look at the subreddit 'There Was An Attempt,' shall we?

Its members collect amusing, awkward, and sometimes painful fails at being patriotic, interviewing for a job, and pretty much every other aspect of daily life. If their posts don't reassure you that everyone makes mistakes, I don't know what will!

"Our fear of failure is something we learn as children," psychologist Dr. Samuel West, who studies corporate behavior, told Bored Panda. "We learn how to react to failure by observing those around us. We learn that failure is negative, it is painful, and that we should avoid it."

These lessons are extensive and quite damaging, but some teachers make them especially persuading. "Growing up influenced by adults that have high anxiety and/or are overly critical and unsupportive makes it much worse," Dr. West added. "At the core, the fear of failure is related to shame and the powerful emotions of being negatively judged by others. When we feel shame we try to hide our perceived wrong-doings, our poor moral decisions, etc."

"The evolutionary function of shame is social control. Society needs social mechanisms to maintain order. As such, the fear of failure makes perfect sense, as a society we don't want people to keep failing and doing things that are detrimental to themselves and society itself."

ADVERTISEMENT
#3

To Build A Cool Looking Electric Truck

To Build A Cool Looking Electric Truck

Eugene0185 Report

#4

To Discipline A Non-Employee

To Discipline A Non-Employee

BirdRespecter Report

Add photo comments
POST
ॐBoyGanesh
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ya, never call them. Always keep it in writing so it’s documented.

View more commentsArrow down menu

In 2017, Dr. West launched an exhibit in Sweden showcasing flopped products and ideas, to celebrate failure's essential role in innovation and progress. It quickly gained popularity and is now known as 'The Museum of Failure,' a traveling exhibition that has been making its way around the world.

"There is good failure and there is bad failure," he said. And that's why it can be so tricky!

"Bad failure is the kind that is preventable and predictable, it is always bad and should be avoided. Good failure is the type of failure that comes from experimentation and exploration when we try and test new things. Art, science, and tech innovation need the continual taking of risks (risk of failure!) for progress to happen. The same is true for us on a personal level. Without taking meaningful risks we stagnate."

ADVERTISEMENT
#5

To Understand Depression

To Understand Depression

RelatablePanic Report

Add photo comments
POST
Penny Hernandez
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

KNOWING that there are so many good things in my life and still feeling hopeless and helpless. I have suffered from depression my whole life and when I was in my 60s I finally found a healthcare professional who prescribed a maintenance dose of antidepressants which allowed me to monitor my depression and increase the dosage when necessary.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Dr. Nick Morgan agrees. The founder and CEO of Public Words, a consulting firm specializing in communication skills, describes himself as a recovering perfectionist and believes that the big question when it comes to failure is what can we do with it.

"I can stress out and ruminate endlessly on what went wrong. I can beat myself up for my part in the debacle. I can try to pretend that nothing happened. I've tried each of these over the years, and a few more besides, and I can tell you that they don’t work — of course they don't. And yet, many of us respond these ways over and over again, trapped by our perfectionism," Dr. Morgan told Bored Panda.

"What you need to do instead is to understand what went wrong, as dispassionately as possible, decide what to do differently the next time, and move on. If apologies are in order, make them heartfelt and timely."

ADVERTISEMENT
#7

To Be Successful!

To Be Successful!

Content-Command-8845 Report

Add photo comments
POST
Lost Panda
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

TBF, I have never seen her until this. Heard the name in passing before, probably a Will Smith article or something, but her... no clue

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

The key, according to Dr. Morgan, is the part about moving on. "If you don't process the failures cleanly, you'll find yourself like a ship with its hull covered in barnacles, moving slower and slower, unable to navigate gracefully through the waters ahead," said the author of Can You Hear Me?: How to Connect with People in a Virtual World.

"Worse, the next time you’re speaking, and the moment looks weirdly like the failure moment to your unconscious mind – which never forgets, especially pain – you will find yourself suddenly distracted at the very least by your brain saying, 'Oh-oh! Things are about to go horribly wrong!' That will compound the agony, and matters will quickly get worse."

#9

To Prove Your BF Is Cheating

To Prove Your BF Is Cheating

NC_liv3 Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#10

To Act Like You Belong

To Act Like You Belong

Sunlight_Sword Report

The good thing is that "while the failure itself is a negative experience (it is embarrassing, expensive, painful, etc.) the results can and often are very positive," Dr. Samuel West added.

In fact, he highlighted that recovering from our failures has been becoming an increasingly hot research topic.

"One thing that we know is that people need perspective on their failures, to understand that while it is painful, the effects are limited. This quote by Jon Sinclair explains it very well: 'Failure is a bruise. Not a tattoo.' When we make an effort to reflect on what has happened and accept responsibility we can learn from them — this is the best way to recover."

"When you understand that failure is the empty spaces in-between success, that failure is just the other side of the coin of success, then recovering from failure is easier. I advise my clients that they should focus more on 'failure recovery' than on 'failure avoidance.' Once you train your ability to recover from small and larger failures you realize that there is not much to fear."

ADVERTISEMENT
#11

To Relate To A Girl’s Photo

To Relate To A Girl’s Photo

Trumps_Cum_Dumpster Report

Dr. Nick Morgan also mentioned a study from 2011 that he recently ran across finds that acceptance and self-compassion, positive reframing, and humor are the three most effective ways to deal with failure.

"These are techniques I can get behind, even though I’m not great at them," he said.

Acceptance and self-compassion are the basics of moving on from failure. According to Dr. Morgan, you will know best how to talk to yourself, but some form of acceptance and forgiveness of yourself as a unique, valuable, fabulous human being is vital. "There are many books, online courses, and psychologists out there ready to help. Do the work; it’s important. As the self-help cliché has it, the airplane safety talk is right: put on your own oxygen mask first," he explained.

ADVERTISEMENT
#14

To Educate And Have Fun 👍

To Educate And Have Fun 👍

HumanRightsAdv Report

Next, positive reframing can help make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. "The idea here is to find something, anything that did go well or can be spun into a positive," he said. "Don’t fool yourself, but don’t overdo the doom and gloom in the first flush of failure, either. As a wise person ... shared with me once, it’s the broken places where the light comes in."

And lastly, as these pictures illustrate, humor. "Laughing at yourself is a great gift; lightness allows you to rise above the slough of despond and sail on serenely," Dr. Morgan said. Although, "laughing at others’ pratfalls is something I leave to your discretion."

"The point is that once you can laugh at failure it is no longer terminal. You are ready to move on."

#15

To Push Someone's Head Into The Cake

To Push Someone's Head Into The Cake

Practical_Result_916 Report

#16

To Sext Politely

To Sext Politely

Substantial-Bat-9572 , x.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
troufaki13
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When you want to be sexy but very demure and very cutesy at the same time.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#17

To Catch A Terrorist

To Catch A Terrorist

overreaIz Report

Add photo comments
POST
Donkeywheel
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s what you get when your country has such a pitiable judiciary system that you can get sued for the most ludicrous reasons. Airlines must be reasonably watchful so they do that. Nowhere else in the world obviously. Same reason you have to write “not actual size” on a billboard ad for a sandwich, because you’d definitely lose if a moron were to order his 10 meters hotdog.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#20

To Disrespect Mike Tyson

To Disrespect Mike Tyson

bhavsarharsh Report

Add photo comments
POST
G A
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Much as I dislike Tyson doing this stunt, please punch his f*****g head clean off.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#22

To Not Show Bias

To Not Show Bias

mhjsa Report

Add photo comments
POST
Moosy Girl
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the answer I got: “Yes, like all people, Palestinians deserve to be free. The principle of freedom is rooted in human rights, which are universal. This includes the right to self-determination, the right to live in dignity, and the right to have control over their own lives and future. For Palestinians, the struggle for freedom is tied to complex historical, political, and territorial issues. Achieving peace, justice, and freedom for Palestinians and Israelis alike requires a resolution that respects the rights, security, and aspirations of both peoples.”

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#23

To Get A Date

To Get A Date

[deleted] Report

Add photo comments
POST
quentariel
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good luck to this lady ever finding anyone. Not that she deserves it with this attitude.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#25

To Convert Someone To Veganism

To Convert Someone To Veganism

MoonDustAllergy , x.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
Lexi
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is a truly stupid ad. Most people would say yes to trying out t-rex steak

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#26

To Read And Persuade People That You Are Smarter Than 85.69% Of The Population

To Read And Persuade People That You Are Smarter Than 85.69% Of The Population

lpomoeaBatatas Report

#28

To Predict The Future

To Predict The Future

SwanExtension7974 Report

#29

To Be Politically Correct

To Be Politically Correct

Entire_Car_1852 Report

Add photo comments
POST
ॐBoyGanesh
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I use this Aztec Secret calcium bentonite clay make regularly and look very similar. Never once would I consider it blackface, especially with better lighting it’s obviously a dark grey-green.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#30

To Collect $1.3 Million

To Collect $1.3 Million

butmuhfreedoms Report

#31

Attempt To Pay Respect

Attempt To Pay Respect

Slygirl997 Report

#32

To Get A New Job

To Get A New Job

ONDickson_ Report

Add photo comments
POST
Jill Rhodry
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Doesn't that mean his boss has a second job though - perhaps nfp and he's part of the board?

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#33

To Be Funny

To Be Funny

weird_potato123 Report

Add photo comments
POST
David Paterson
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's an excellent movie about how the Indian team did it. That movie cost less than Interstellar, too.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#34

At A Sign: My Town Is Getting A New Wa Houfflese. We're Pretty Pumped

At A Sign: My Town Is Getting A New Wa Houfflese. We're Pretty Pumped

nellywaters Report

#36

To Get A Tattoo That Looks Like The Picture

To Get A Tattoo That Looks Like The Picture

devnull10 Report

#37

To Stay Retired

To Stay Retired

ImpressiveBook3744 Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#41

To Manufacture Consent For Endless War

To Manufacture Consent For Endless War

north_canadian_ice Report

#42

To Prevent People Taking Your Nft

To Prevent People Taking Your Nft

lpomoeaBatatas Report

#44

To Get A 20% Tip. We Had Three Glasses Of Water And Three Drinks. The Server Scribbled Over The Lesser Percentage Options And Circled What Was Expected

To Get A 20% Tip. We Had Three Glasses Of Water And Three Drinks. The Server Scribbled Over The Lesser Percentage Options And Circled What Was Expected

godless_1 Report

#45

To Do Something Impossible

To Do Something Impossible

CLIFFjumper05 Report

#46

To Enshrine The Most Fascistic, Traitorous Bullshit I've Ever Witnessed In My Life Into Law

To Enshrine The Most Fascistic, Traitorous Bullshit I've Ever Witnessed In My Life Into Law

JasonOverstreet Report

Add photo comments
POST
CanadianDimes
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, that sounds like it violates the first amendment, and not in the way Musk complains about when his advertisers withdraw. As in, actually what the first amendment is there to stop happening, the government deciding what you can or cannot say about a government.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#47

To Ask People To Not Eat On The Carpet

To Ask People To Not Eat On The Carpet

kTfanboy Report

Add photo comments
POST
giku T
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

looks like the man in the pink shirt is trying to hide that his mouth is full.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#50

To Sell A Cyber Truck In Denver

To Sell A Cyber Truck In Denver

farmertypoerror Report

Note: this post originally had 75 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.

Ic_chat

Progress:

Ic check outlined Dialog close

Ic_smile Ic_meh

Ic check outlined Dialog close

Ic_smile Ic_meh

Thanks! Check out the results:

Quiz icon

View alternative results:

Quiz icon

Ic_score

/

0