Why It’s Okay to Talk About Failures
I’ve been trying my hardest to become better at sustainable living for the past two years. Sometimes it is so overwhelming because I see a billion sustainable bloggers being so wonderfully perfect on Instagram. I have a love/hate relationship with Instagram (I’m sure everyone does). I love the aesthetics but hate how perfect everything always looks. Let’s show some failures, okay?
Let’s Be More Upfront About Our Failures
No one likes to admit when they failed. I mean it’s putting yourself in a vulnerable state- who would like to do that? The thing is, the more we talk about our failures the less they become taboo. Right now it seems scary to talk about how I forgot to bring reusable bags when I was shopping. How I had a bad day and really wanted an ice cream in a plastic cup. I would love to show that I’m perfect at sustainable living but the truth is I’m still learning. In order to grow, we all need to be upfront with our failures because together we can think of solutions to be better next time.
Influencers Should Be More Upfront About Their Past Mistakes
Yes, I love hearing how you became a success story. Yes, that’s wonderful you got a brand new house. Yes, good for you for getting that job. Buttttttt… the thing is, I want to hear about the hard times. How late did you stay up writing that story? How many nights did you have to eat Cheerios to afford the down deposit? How many jobs did you apply to on LinkedIn before you found “the one”. To me, those failures are what makes your story interesting. It’s interesting to hear about what you had to sacrifice in order to get to where you are today. Plus, it makes you more relatable which I feel like Instagram is severely lacking.
Why is this so Important in Our Instagram-Obsessed World?
This is so important today because we constantly go on this little app that looks so perfect that we forget the little mess ups. In the long run, that effects our self esteem because we see everyone surpassing us in everything. In reality, they’re struggling just like the rest of us. That is exactly why I like to watch Instagram Stories more than the Instagram feed. I feel like people can be more vulnerable on Instagram stories, this more relatable. Two people that do a really good job of this is Juliette and DeDe.
Starting Friday Failures
In an effort to become more real with you, I’m starting Friday Failures on my instagram stories. I hope this is an opportunity to get rid of the “perfect Instagram” vibe and just to be more real. Also, I hope you share your sustainable living failures with me. We’re human, we’re going to mess up. The thing is, we don’t need one person who is perfect at sustainable living. We need a ton of people who are striving to be better at sustainable living.
How do you feel about being more up front about your failures? Do you think instagramers should talk about their failures more?
As always,
17 Comments
Chloe May Blogs
Failures need to be spoken about more often. We are human mistakes and failures happen all of the time and that needs to be made normal.
Great post x
Makaela Premont
Failures are so important and I love that you are creating a little segment to talk about them each week. I definitely want to start being more vulnerable on social media because bloggers and influencers are not perfect all the time and its great to hear about the mess ups too.
xo, Makaela
Farrah
Failures (much as I hate em’!) are so important for learning and growth–I love that you’re dedicating a segment to talking about them! So much content these days is so “perfect” and curated!
PeculiarPorter
Yes! I couldn’t agree more! Thank you so much girly 😊
Alyssa
Very cute look 🙂
xx Alyssa | STYLE VANITY
PeculiarPorter
Thank you so much! 💕💕
crystalsandcurls
This is such a good idea!! I honestly think sharing the low points as well as the highs makes people more relatable and honestly it makes me more invested and happy for them getting those wins in! Looking forward to your series – btw this outfit is super cute you look great!xx
PeculiarPorter
I couldn’t agree more! It totally makes people more relatable. Sometimes in this space it’s hard relating to the “perfect worlds”! 💕
jenniferpickering22gmailcom
This is so important! Failures are such a big part of our lives and can make us a better person and to work harder!
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
PeculiarPorter
I couldn’t agree more! We learn and thrive through our mistakes and failures!
Deborah
Yess! I totally agree with this – I definitely struggle to admit when I’ve failed or made a mistake, not just on my blog but in real life too! I recently broke my shopping ban (sort of) to buy a pair of shoes. To be fair, it was to replace a pair that were worn out beyond repair but the new shoes didn’t look anything like the old ones so I was definitely skirting the line of breaking my rule. I wrote about it in my latest blog post but I struggled with it, writing it, deleting it, rewriting it until I ultimately decided to leave it in there. You’re right that the more we admit our mistakes, the less taboo it becomes! I’m going to really work hard at being more honest and transparent with my failures!
PeculiarPorter
Oh. My. God. I’m loving your honesty! I think it’s so important that you’re honest with your challenge because for some it may seem scary. Knowing the mistakes we all make makes it seem less taboo and more raw/honest. Plus, it makes these awesome challenges seem more doable! Keep thriving girly 💕💕
lyddiegal
These days I do see more people ‘talking’ about failures but only after the hardship has past and they can end it with their success. I’ve seen it with people who might have struggled with depression or a breakup or getting pregnant or any number of things and it seems like its only okay to discuss them once you are on the other side. I’ve also seen instagram posts of perfectly clean kitchens with then a mile long comment about how the kitchen is not clean and so on and so forth. So why post this fake photo of your not currently clean kitchen and feed into the mindset that we must only present our perfect selves? So I look forward to hearing more about your honest, real, life.
Chic on the Cheap
PeculiarPorter
Yes! I feel like many of the times we don’t talk about it during the progress because we don’t know if we’re going to make it through it. Rachel Hollis, one of my favorite writers, was talking about becoming a best seller and while she was striving for that goal she failed- in front of millions. Through our mistakes we can grow 💕
lilthoughtswithjen
this was an AMAZING POST! too often we put the best version of ourselves online and to share our failures as something we are proud of can bring them into a different light!
xx jen
http://lilthoughtswithjen.com/
Maria
I completely agree with this post. I learn a lot from hearing about other people’s failures, it makes them more relatable as well 🙂
https://www.chicnpink.com
Jessica
This is such a good read dear, and I couldn’t agree more. As they say, it’s not always win or lose. Sometimes we win, other times we learn.
Jessica | notjessfashion.com