Failure is a deeply personal concept, and for me, it is not the same as making mistakes, having setbacks, or struggling along the way. I see failure as not following through on an intended goal, in other words, quitting. For example, I would never view sabotaging my diet or having an unhealthy day as a failure because I'm human. Setbacks are part of the process. However, if I completely abandon my goal, whether it's losing weight, gaining weight, or improving my health, and simply give up, then I would consider that a failure. Even then, failure depends on what happens next. If I return to that goal weeks, months, or even years later and decide to try again, then I no longer see it as a failure. The fact that I'm willing to continue pursuing the goal means I haven't truly quit. This perspective comes from my own experience. When I was 19, I left home, went to college, and walked away from a university scholarship, largely as an act of defiance toward my parents. The college program felt easy at first, until it wasn't. Eventually, I stopped attending and had to withdraw. Three years later, I contacted the college to ask whether I could return and complete the diploma. In my mind, I had never been someone who quit. I worried that if I allowed myself to walk away from that unfinished goal, I might develop a habit of taking the easy way out whenever things became difficult. Finishing what I started mattered to me. Because of that experience, I view failure as giving up permanently on something that matters to me. Success, on the other hand, is continuing to try and ultimately following through on the goals I set for myself. Success is not perfection; it is persistence and completion.