It is truly a miraculous thing to consider when you sit down and think of the way in which your brain works. You wouldn't be able to process as a living human being without it, although sometimes, it seems as if it's the antagonist of your life, or the opposition. It's truly fascinating that our brains can reward us sometimes, but also confuse us, or cause us to give into our fears or doubts. In particular, with the brain of a child, whilst developing as a living organism, their brains also physically grow, but are also mentally "malleable." Their experiences in the environment of the real world shape them as they learn to face a variety of predicaments, attempt to gain valuable assets and skill-sets, etc. However, along this journey, they will also face failure. It's not something to be apprehensive of, but rather a learning experience. Failure throughout life is inevitable, as success is not attainable at all times. But, that doesn't mean that it hits us any less harder as humans. In fact, failure is scary. It sets you off into a world of self-doubt, causing you to believe worst-case scenarios or that nothing will ever go right. In fact, I myself struggle with thoughts such as these on a daily basis. As a perfectionist, I always strive for the best I can achieve, and when it doesn't work out, I'm disappointed in myself. A crushing feeling forms within me, and I feel like I don't know what to do. These emotions, this overwhelming feeling of fear and sadness, is in fact an effect of our brain. Such a villainous thing, isn't it? But then, when you come to terms with this one instance of "failure," everything changes. When you instead see this occasion as an opportunity to learn from your past so that you may impact and improve your future, your outlook changes. For me, for instance, if I were to put all of my efforts into a sketch that I was doing, and in the end, I wasn't proud of it, I'd be upset, of course! But, after taking a few minutes to reflect, I'd get up, take another sheet of paper, pick up my pencil, and begin another piece. This time in fact, I'd be determined to sketch even better, taking into account what I had previously done well, and what I'd like to do differently. Now with this newfound sense of perseverance and confidence, I feel like I can do anything! Hmmm... that's funny... Where does this feeling come from? The very same brain that had seemed to turn on you not too long ago! Fundamentally, your brain isn't "out to get you," but rather trying to prepare you for the rest of life, and experiencing all sorts of situations and emotions. Just as much as you may feel fear or worry, you can also feel joy or confidence. It's simply all a matter of your brain helping you explore different kinds of reactions, and finding what works best for you and your well-being. Obviously, over-worrying isn't beneficial to our personal health, and so, if in situations we learn to notice that we might have faced a tough time in the way that we responded to the notion of struggle, we can determine how to best deal with these emotions in the future. I guess you could say it's our brain's method of trial and error; our brain is allowing us to acknowledge our inner conflicts so that we can have a chance to handle a similar predicament in the future in a better way. As someone who personally faces some trouble with anxiety, it is certainly easier said than done to overcome our fears in this world. Trust me, I know. However, once you learn to establish a support system for yourself, figure out what works best for you, and perhaps try to look at your situation with a different perspective, you'll see that error isn't the "worst thing ever." So, the next time you face a rough dilemma and consider your brain as your foe, remind yourself that it is in fact your friend, and that you can indeed move past the overbearing sense of defeat over time; it will just take a long time to accept your missteps and embrace your imperfections. Just know that there are other people too, who you can reach out to in an instance of fear. Whether it be your family, friends, pets, or others, just try to find at least one reason to look on the bright side; try to adopt an optimistic outlook and know that, although failure may be a scary thing to endure, it's a part of life, and merely an opportunity to learn from our faults. Once you accept that, as I've been trying to do more and more recently, you will perhaps see that life is an extraordinary thing, one that shouldn't be wasted by a constant sense of fear, but rather curiosity, excitement, and inquisitiveness.