We introduce ourselves and the podcast.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

You can become an official supporter of the show by joining our Good Fail club on Patreon. Visit: www.patreon.com/thegoodfail

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

If you're not tired of us yet, you can also find us in these social places:

Instagram - @pretty_messy_official

@merlemade_tales

Facebook - @thegoodfailers

@merlemadetales

Pinterest - @merlemadetales

The Web - www.merlemadetales.com

MUSIC FOR THE GOOD FAIL BY:

https://filmmusic.io "Dreamy Flashback" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The Good Fail is a project that was born out of a pervasive feeling in both of us that we were failing to make our voices heard as creators. Now we want to radically recalibrate our ideas and attitudes surrounding failure.

WHAT IS THIS PODCAST ABOUT?

This podcast is about failure and questioning the “one size fits all” perspective of success. We want to change our understanding of what failure means to us and we want you join us.

WHY ARE WE MAKING THIS PODCAST?

Because is feels awful to fail but we spend so much of our lives failing and then failing again to live up to what we think success looks like. We want to build a kind of tool kit of strategies and experiences that we, and you, can use to help us keep going when we are living through failure. Don’t give up!

CAN WE CHANGE OUR PERSPECTIVE ON FAILURE OR DO WE NEED TO GET BETTER AT SUCCEEDING?

Failure is a process. If we can start to think of success in less black and white terms, that is, if we’re not “succeeding” then we must be “failing”, then we can change our perspective on what it really means to fail. We can feel like it’s not all over just because we failed. 

WHY ARE WE QUALIFIED TO TALK ABOUT THIS?

We have experienced our fair share of failure and more, and some successes, which we will be talking about openly with you in the hopes of relieving some of the shame that surrounds failure. This might make us not so much academically qualified as curious! We see this podcast as an exploration for us and the listener together. 

CONCLUSION

We hope this gives you a good idea about what we hope this podcast will be. Every episode we’ll be unpacking issues surrounding failure and how we can challenge them. We’ll also be including a regular recommendation section for great books, podcasts, tv shows, apps and more that relate to the Good Fail.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

You can become an official supporter of the show by joining our Good Fail club on Patreon. Visit: www.patreon.com/thegoodfail

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

If you're not tired of us yet, you can also find us in these social places:

Instagram - @pretty_messy_official

@merlemade_tales

Facebook - @thegoodfailers

@merlemadetales

Pinterest - @merlemadetales

The Web - www.merlemadetales.com

MUSIC FOR THE GOOD FAIL BY:

https://filmmusic.io "Dreamy Flashback" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

To begin episode two we introduce a regular segment to the show that celebrates the moments in our week when we’ve triumphed and when we’ve failed. 

HOW DO WE FEEL ABOUT FAILING? 

Starting to dig into the main topic of the show we discuss our current assumptions on success and failure, using the official definition from our tattered and frankly falling to pieces edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary as a launch pad into thoughts and musings about attaining fame, when a “favourable outcome” can refer to successfully putting a clothes wash on and how failure can be comforting because we know what to expect.

SO HOW DO WE SUCCEED AT FAILING?

It’s difficult but we feel it’s about changing our perspective. Something we discuss which has helped us recently is our introduction to Carl Jung’s interpretation of alchemy and in particular that part at the very beginning of the process known as NIGREDO. 

DO WE HAVE ANY PRACTICAL TOOLS FOR THAT? 

Discussing our own tactics for how to stay motivated when we’d rather just kick it all in and be miserable and if it’s important to feel grateful for all the little things, we introduce our final segment of the show: 

WHAT DO WE RECOMMEND? 

Each week we finish by recommending something we think is brilliant that is doing the good fail. Today we bring you: 

Super Soul Conversations

A totally awesome podcast by Oprah Winfrey 

And

The Makers Yearbook

A superb business planner created by a lovely woman called Nicola. 

SUPPORT THE SHOW

You can become an official supporter of the show by joining our Good Fail club on Patreon. Visit: www.patreon.com/thegoodfail

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

If you're not tired of us yet, you can also find us in these social places:

Instagram - @pretty_messy_official

@merlemade_tales

Facebook - @thegoodfailers

@merlemadetales

Pinterest - @merlemadetales

The Web - www.merlemadetales.com

MUSIC FOR THE GOOD FAIL BY:

https://filmmusic.io "Dreamy Flashback" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Today we are discussing how owning your creativity can be the first step in doing the Good Fail.

WEEKLY UPDATE.

We quickly dive into how we’ve been failing and succeeding this week.

WHAT DO WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY OWNING YOUR CREATIVITY?

Giving ourselves permission to call ourselves *insert title here*. Whether that be artist or actor or director or designer, sometimes Imposter Syndrome can get in the way and we feel like we don’t have the right to give ourselves these titles. This can also apply to non-creative pursuits.

OUR PERSONAL STRUGGLE TO GIVE OURSELVES PERMISSION.

I’m writing a novel but it isn’t published yet, can I call myself a writer? I’ve worked on small acting projects but can’t get onto Spotlight, can I call myself an actor? I feel physically sick when I consider calling myself either. 

I’m quite happy to call myself an illustrator but can’t actually talk about what I do without my insides winkling up in utter agony. This all stems from Imposter Syndrome.

WHAT ARE WE SCARED OF?

We’re scared that people will judge us and mock us, for being so silly and delusional. That they’ll see we don’t know what we’re doing and won’t like us for it. But should we care?

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO START CALLING YOURSELF *INSERT TITLE HERE*?

This can lead to more questions but is the answer to all of them that we shouldn’t care?

SHOULD WE JUST GIVE OURSELVES PERMISSION TO DO AND BE WHAT WE WANT?

Yes! People are breaking free of traditional roles now and seeking individual self-identity. If someone has the courage to identify themselves as the opposite gender to how they were born, then I can call myself an artist.

SO WHY IS IT SO SCARY?

Because giving ourselves permission to be that thing also gives us permission to fail at being it.

CONCLUSION.

Owning our creativity is the first step in doing the Good Fail.

WEEKLY RECOMMENDATION.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

A self-help book that encourages you to just get on with it and be the creative you dream of being. 

SUPPORT THE SHOW

You can become an official supporter of the show by joining our Good Fail club on Patreon. Visit: www.patreon.com/thegoodfail

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

If you're not tired of us yet, you can also find us in these social places:

Instagram - @pretty_messy_official

@merlemade_tales

Facebook - @thegoodfailers

@merlemadetales

Pinterest - @merlemadetales

The Web - www.merlemadetales.com

MUSIC FOR THE GOOD FAIL BY:

https://filmmusic.io "Dreamy Flashback" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

If you ever feel like you’ve got a goal you want to reach, a place you want to be, a life you want to cultivate, but achieving it is like walking around in the dark and stabbing at things in the optimistic expectation of finding that exact thing that’s going to help you get there, then join the club. We haven’t got a clue but in this episode we’re discussing the one thing we do know a bit about that might make a big difference in, if not how quickly and successfully we reach our goals, at least how good we feel about continuing not to reach them: namely, ourselves. 

DO YOU HAVE AN EXAMPLE?

Talking further about our own processes and how we strategise our knowledge in order to create a more productive work day, we mostly end up talking about our obsession with food, tea, books, overthinking and feeling slangry.

DOES ALL THAT KNOWLEDGE HELP? 

Although we have a lot of strategies in place to help us be our best selves, even strategies for when our strategies aren’t working (did we mention overthinking?), a lot of the time we fail to follow our own good advice. However, we may not be perfect but knowing ourselves, accepting our limitations, has been enormously helpful in making it easier to fail well and fail good. 

WHAT DO WE RECOMMEND? 

Each week we finish by recommending something we think is brilliant that is doing the good fail. Today we bring you:

Insight Timer

A free meditation app for your phone with a great bookmark function. 

Yogi Tea

A brand of herbal teas with some truly delicious blends, with a little piece of wisdom on every tea tag.  

SUPPORT THE SHOW

You can become an official supporter of the show by joining our Good Fail club on Patreon. Visit: www.patreon.com/thegoodfail

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

If you're not tired of us yet, you can also find us in these social places:

Instagram - @pretty_messy_official

@merlemade_tales

Facebook - @thegoodfailers

@merlemadetales

Pinterest - @merlemadetales

The Web - www.merlemadetales.com

MUSIC FOR THE GOOD FAIL BY:

https://filmmusic.io "Dreamy Flashback" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Today we want to talk about whether an important part of feeling better about failure is finding your tribe; people who can truly identify with your struggles and offer valuable insights.

WEEKLY UPDATE.

We quickly dive into how we’ve been failing and succeeding this week with a little story that perfectly sums up the Good Fail.

WHAT DO WE REALLY MEAN BY TRIBE?

We introduce the main topic by summarising our definition of “tribe” for the purposes of this episode. Your tribe is a group of people going through a similar experience as you at the same time.

SO ARE FRIENDS PART OF YOUR TRIBE?

Tribe is different from friendship when it comes to the support you get from them. Friends will be there for you, encourage you and commiserate with you, whatever the situation while your tribe is a community of individuals bonded by a specific interest or experience. We can support this with personal experience.

IS IT IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO FIND A TRIBE?

We’ve seen this question particularly come up for people in creative/freelance work who often end up working alone and can suffer from loneliness. For this reason it seems clear that finding a tribe can be extremely beneficial however as we are ourselves confirmed introverts we understand that this might feel daunting.

QUOTE: (from Oh Magazine, formerly Oh Comely) 

When you feel isolated you lose confidence in your ability to make friends and so turn down invitations and avoid opportunities to meet new people; all things that would naturally make you feel better and disprove your anxieties. 

We know that we need personal, face-to-face contact with people going through similar struggles to stay sane but the longer we go without human contact, perversely, the less we feel like making the effort. But YES, tribe is important!

DOES TRIBE MEAN A LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE?

No! Consider if you need the whole community. You may just need one or two people you can have a really good chat with. Tribe can be as small as that.

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT FINDING YOUR TRIBE?

QUOTE: (from Oh Magazine)

Meeting people will involve taking a punt and putting yourself out there. pretty scary when you’re feeling down in the dumps - but there are things you can do to make it easier.

We’re not experts in the field but we do have some suggestions.

WHAT CAN WE CONCLUDE?

Tribe is important BUT work on knowing yourself enough that you can begin to understand how much of the tripe you want to take on.

WEEKLY RECOMMENDATION

Oh Magazine (formerly known as Oh Comely) 

Issue 51 includes the article we have been quoting from.

The Friend Effect by Jo Usmar. 

Pics & Ink 

A new online space where you can browse and buy independent magazines, including Oh magazine. 

SUPPORT THE SHOW

You can become an official supporter of the show by joining our Good Fail club on Patreon. Visit: www.patreon.com/thegoodfail

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

If you're not tired of us yet, you can also find us in these social places:

Instagram - @pretty_messy_official

@merlemade_tales

Facebook - @thegoodfailers

We all do it. we all know we do it. But how can we stop ourselves from feeling inadequate when other’s lives appear so perfect? 

We start by tackling that gnarly old problem of social media, establishing that it definitely has its benefits, like building community, or as a tool for promotion and inspiration etc, but that its one big drawback is how easily we can fall into the comparison trap. 

WHY DO WE DO IT? 

It’s natural to compare and is actually a fundamental skill required in decision making. As we discuss, it can spur us on to do good and be better, plus, we’re just plain nosy and we love taking a poke around on the gram to see how the other half live. 

CAN WE STOP OURSELVES? 

No. It’s too instinctual, no matter how much it messes us up on the inside, but as we dig deeper into the issue we learn about what steps we can take to help ourselves out when we bring ourselves down with too much comparison; it’s got something to do with choices. 

GOT ANY HANDY TOOLS FOR THAT? 

We've also got a heap of suggestions for practical ways we can help making those right choices easier, including a personal anecdote in which Merle almost becomes a cossack rider.

 WHAT DO WE RECOMMEND? 

Each week we finish by recommending something we think is brilliant that is doing the good fail. Today we bring you:

How to Fail

A fantastic podcast by journalist Elizabeth Day, featuring life lessons from the seemingly successful as they talk through some of their biggest fails. 

SUPPORT THE SHOW

You can become an official supporter of the show by joining our Good Fail club on Patreon. Visit: www.patreon.com/thegoodfail

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

If you're not tired of us yet, you can also find us in these social places:

Instagram - @pretty_messy_official

@merlemade_tales

Facebook - @thegoodfailers

@merlemadetales

Pinterest - @merlemadetales

The Web - www.merlemadetales.com

MUSIC FOR THE GOOD FAIL BY:

https://filmmusic.io "Dreamy Flashback" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

How can we accept the journey we’re on, the struggles we face and how far we have to go while at the same time remaining generous and supportive of other’s happiness and success?

CAN WE UNPACK THAT FURTHER? 

In other words we mean, how can we fight against the struggle not to feel incredibly jealous all the time? Particularly when it’s towards friends and family. We admit that this isn't an easy topic to talk about honestly but go on to point out our focus here is on finding a way to nurture our feelings of generosity rather than indulging our feelings of jealousy. 

SO HOW CAN WE CULTIVATE GENEROSITY?

After confessing that jealousy is something we definitely struggle with, we begin to unravel how being generous to others can help us feel better about ourselves, using our own experiences to build a handy tips and tricks section on how to get a handle on jealousy and encourage generosity. We also mention Oprah Winfrey’s podcast Super Soul Conversations and another podcast hosted by Dacher Keltner called The Science of Happiness; in particular referencing episode 7 (12th Mar. 2018) and his conversation with journalist Tod Zwillich along with research carried out by neuroscientist Christina Karns on the science of gratitude. 

WHAT CAN WE CONCLUDE FROM ALL THIS? 

Increasing our generosity is all about knowing our own life has value. If we can find acceptance for the journey we’re on and be grateful for what we have now then we can become more generous to others. 

WHAT DO WE RECOMMEND? 

Each week we finish by recommending something we think is brilliant that is doing the good fail. Today we bring you:

The Science of Happiness

A podcast hosted by Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology, that utilises a scientific approach to the mindfulness movement, great for all the sceptics out there.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

You can become an official supporter of the show by joining our Good Fail club on Patreon. Visit: www.patreon.com/thegoodfail

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

If you're not tired of us yet, you can also find us in these social places:

Instagram - @pretty_messy_official

@merlemade_tales

Facebook - @thegoodfailers

@merlemadetales

Pinterest - @merlemadetales

The Web - www.merlemadetales.com

MUSIC FOR THE GOOD FAIL BY:

https://filmmusic.io "Dreamy Flashback" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)