C.V of Failures

My lovely partner showed me this idea a while back but I hadn't got around to doing it until now! It's based on the idea that when we are looking at our own achievements, they are often tarnished in our minds by our failures. However when we look at other people's achievements, especially people we think of as particularly successful or who are in a position we wold like to be in, all we see is their success. It's a great exercise to see how the stories we tell ourselves about our experiences vastly change depending on what we give more weight to, to be more kind to ourselves when we think we fail and to appreciate our achievements more. The first section is a rough idea of my normal CV, and the second with the 'failures' added in red.

Amy Metcalf

Swimming Certificates Gold and 1 Mile

GCSE 9 A*-C grades including English, Maths and Double Science

AS Level Textiles Design and Technology A
A Level Psychology A
A Level Philosophy & Ethics B
A Level English Literature B

Undergraduate Diploma Philosophy  2:1
BA Hons Applied Social Science - Children & Young People  1st Class
Post- Graduate Diploma Women, Violence & Conflict  Merit

Work Experience
Next
Hobbs
Paul Smith
York Montessori Nursery
Phase Eight
L'Occitane en Provance
Costa Coffee
The Body Shop

Self Employment
The Storybook Cafe Mental Health Cafe, Blog and Podcast
Storybook Cafe Gifts Etsy Shop

Volunteering
Wolf Ridge Camp
SNAPPY
House of Avalon Vintage Shop & Cafe
Killamarsh Nursary
Theatre Deli Cafe

Makaton Stages 1-8
The Prince's Trust Enterprise Course
Unlimited Award Funding for Mental Health Cafe
Rainbow Heron Award Funding for Mental Health Cafe
Shortlisted for Launchpad Sheffield Inspiring Achiever Award

Amy Metcalf

Swimming Certificates Gold and 1 Mile
Failed cycling proficiency test

GCSE 9 A*-C grades including English, Maths and Double Science

AS Level Textiles Design and Technology A
A Level Psychology A
A Level Philosophy & Ethics B Predicted an A
A Level English Literature B Predicted an A

Failed three interviews to be a Teaching Assistant

Rejected from studying English Lit and Philosophy at York, Edinburgh and Sheffield Universities

Undergraduate Diploma Philosophy  2:1 Left after first year
University of Leeds Fashion Design BA dropped out after 6 weeks
BA Hons Applied Social Science - Children & Young People  1st Class
Post- Graduate Diploma Women, Violence & Conflict  Merit Failed the dissertation for the MA

Work Experience
Next
Hobbs
Paul Smith
York Montessori Nursery Left due to illness
On benefits
Phase Eight Still on benefits
L'Occitane en Provance Still on benefits
Costa Coffee Left due to illness - on benefits
The Body Shop Left due to illness 
Work Capability Assessment for ESA failed so on Jobseekers
Applied for Mental Health Support Worker Position, Failed
Applied for Mental Health Advocate Position, Failed

Self Employment
The Storybook Cafe Mental Health Cafe, Stopped due to illness Blog and Podcast Supposed to update weekly, but don't
Storybook Cafe Gifts Etsy Shop A year on Universal Credit while trying to make it profitable, applied for ESA, Work Capability Assessment judgement hadn't returned before I came off because I moved in with my partner and he earns 'too much.'

Volunteering
Wolf Ridge Camp
SNAPPY
House of Avalon Vintage Shop & Cafe
Killamarsh Nursary Left due to illness
Theatre Deli Cafe Left due to illness

Makaton Stages 1-8 Forgotten most of it
The Prince's Trust Enterprise Course
Unlimited Award Funding for Mental Health Cafe
Rainbow Heron Award Funding for Mental Health Cafe
Shortlisted for Launchpad Sheffield Inspiring Achiever Award Didn't win
The University of York Opportunity Scholarship For MA, which I failed so only got the PGDip

Although the red additions indicate some kind of failure to achieve something I set out to do, in terms of my own personal growth and experience, they are not failures at all. They are simply challenges I faced, some of them very difficult, which have made me change my path, re-think my plans and explore different options. They certainly don't take anything away from what I did achieve. Success and failure are presented as a binary measure, but really it is more nuanced than that. Most of the time our ability to meet our goals sits within a set of circumstances which are mainly beyond our control, whether is is a job, qualification or award, so much of it is extenuating circumstances and blind luck. What we can control is what we learn as we go through these experiences, how we think of them and whether we want to give up, adjust or try again. So if you feel like you have failed at something important to you, let yourself feel angry and sad and frustrated, but then try to figure out what this means for you and how you can adapt.