When things don't work out: Rethinking failure

Colleen Stegenga
Nov 12, 2026
1 hr ago

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Colleen Stegenga

When I was growing up on the farm, I didn’t think much about failure. I certainly didn't go around labeling things that way. If you had asked me back then whether I had ever failed at something, I might have mentioned that I didn't get much playing time in school sports. But even as a kid, I knew sports weren't my thing. It didn't feel like failing so much as learning something about myself: this isn't where I shine, and that's OK.

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Colleen Stegenga, LCSW-PIP, QMHP, is the founder of Embracing Change Counseling Services, a telehealth and in-person private practice based in Mount Vernon, South Dakota, serving agricultural and rural communities across South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska. She can be reached at 605-306-6383 or through www.embracingchangecs.com.