Failure is synonymous with disappointment, malfunction, breakdown, collapse, falling apart, etc. – each of them vying for the most negative definition imaginable.  Whatever term you use in whatever circumstances that failure came about, each of them hurt.  Reason being - you are human. You always hope for the best and shove any thoughts of failure to the back of your mind whenever you make plans. Much more so if you thought that you’ve gone through every conceivable preparatory step and had all the available contingencies to make sure you succeeded. You wouldn’t be normal if you didn’t feel any pain. So after grieving about it, analyze it. Then do something about it: make it useful.
 
See it as a learning experience. Hindsight, they say, is 20-20, but don’t just throw away your work. Evaluate your plans and look at it dispassionately. Play devil’s advocate. See where it shows some weak points in your plans or schedules or strategies. You might find that a little variation can be achieved to make the plan workable. Or see if it’s really too messy to salvage. Can the plan succeed if you work with different people on it? More time or budget perhaps? Could it have been the timing? Whatever you find, you will learn from it so keep a record.  You can jot down your notes somewhere or even keep the whole plan in a folder with your findings on the top page. Refer to it once in a while especially when a similar project comes up. That’s one way to make your failure useful.

Another way is to tell others about it. Nothing can teach better than experience. Consider the people who were former drug addicts or survivors of eating disorders. Aren’t they more credible when it comes to teaching about dependency rather than those who haven’t gone through the same experience? Share what you went through so that others can benefit from it.  It won’t make you less of a person if you can admit your mistake. In fact, the reverse will happen -- others will thank you for having the courage to come out and teach them not to make the same mistake that you did. If you’re a parent and you make it a point to teach your kids about the mistakes you’ve made, they’ll avoid doing the same thing for sure. Again, that’s one way to make your failure useful.

Failures are part and parcel with being alive in this imperfect world. You can do your best not to commit any, but there’s still no guarantee it won’t happen. Just be prepared and have the courage to get up and move on if you ever fall into one.

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