It’s the inevitable. We will lose. Our endeavors will fail. Success is not our future.

It happens to everyone at some point. No one, no matter how good they may be at something, will always win. It’s the impossible. It cannot be done.

This part of life, despite whatever precautions we take to avoid it, is always looming over us, waiting on an opportunity to watch us crumble. We all fall victim to it everyday. Everyday we fail at something, whether it be athletic, academic or social endeavors. Success will find a way to elude us.

We, as humans, spend so much time on attempts to beat failure. We waste away our existence in a feeble effort to trap success. Yet, no matter how hard we try, success will find a way to slip between our fingers.

Of course, life is not all about failure. We succeed. But our successes are not as important as our failures. A victory in a tennis match is short-lived. A crushing defeat in the final match, however, is something that can mold your work ethic forever. You got a wonderful homecoming date? Great for you. But the kid who gets rejected by the most beautiful girl in school, he will get the most out of it. Testing the social waters can shape his spirit for years to come.

Our failures, even the most gruesome, make us who we are. They give us motivation. They give us purpose. They give us reasons to live.

Someone who can count his failures on his fingers has gained nothing out of life. Their life in itself has been a failure. A failure that, hopefully, their friends and families can learn from.

Embracing the losses and defeats of life is the only way to move forward. Success is followed by complacency. Complacency is the enemy of progress.

Do not wallow in the depths of despair when you fail. Do not let the fear of failing stop you from living. Failure completes life. Without failure, there is no life.