This Viral Humans of NY Quote of President Obama Discussing Failure Is What We All Need to Read

On the day after the election, Humans of New York (HONY) shared a photo and quote from President Obama about his first run for Congress in 1999 as a way to help those disappointed by the news that Donald Trump won the election.

After getting "whooped" in the election, Obama expressed his doubt and concern that he wasn't cut out for the job. At that time, Obama was uncertain that all the time he had invested was futile. But Obama, being the resolute logician he is, also shared how failure is not about losing votes. Failure would be giving up. Instead of fretting over his personal loss, Obama refocused on the work. "Because if you're worried about yourself — if you're thinking: 'Am I succeeding? Am I in the right position? Am I being appreciated?' — then you're going to end up feeling frustrated and stuck," Obama said. "But if you can keep it about the work, you'll always have a path."

A loss is a setback, he explained, but doubting yourself detracts from achieving the goals. As Obama added, when you prioritize the work, "There's always something to be done."