I am sure, you know that feeling: Life just did not go the way you wanted it to go. You applied for a job and were turned down. You auditioned for the new show and they took the girl that waited in line with you. The driving instructor just told you that you did not succeed in getting your license. The list goes on.

Those moments make us sigh, they make us wonder: Is there something wrong with me? Why didn’t I get the job? Which mistakes did I make?

It makes us doubt our abilities, and nobody likes to admit failure. On Instagram and Facebook we tell the world how excited we are about graduation, our wedding and that awesome time we had with our friends. But rarely people post about their failures.

Some might post about that funny mistake they made or how angry they are because they missed the train. But admitting to having failed and feeling like a loser? That’s not something one likes to brag about.

But if we are honest, everyone has those moments. Because this is just life.

We try, we succeed, we try, we fail.

Nobody has this perfect life, that everyone dreams about.

And what good is it to hide those imperfect moments? Life is meant to be shared. Not only in those times when everything is going smoothly, but also when there is failure. I have learned so much from people that dared to be authentic. That opened up to me about their failures in life. Who admitted that, well, they did not have it all together.

Now, please don’t post online about how you have to puke every 15 minutes because the hang over is so bad. This is not what I mean with being honest and admitting failure.

But that next time, when this friend of yours comes up to you and asks you how you are doing, think about it. You feel worried because your work contract will end soon and you still have no idea where you are going to work after that? Admitting this might actually lead to that job that your friend just read about in the newspaper!

Taking off our masks is something that might help us to get closer to someone. It takes energy, it takes courage, but people will appreciate you being honest.

So, this is what I want to tell you: be brave, share, be you. It will be worth it.

PS: Special thanks to my friend Mark who took the photo of me when we were doing a little hike in France!