So, you’ve found yourself in a low place. You might have failed a big test, or gotten a bad peer review on a project, and your world honestly feels like it’s crushing you into a human jelly. We get it, and we’ve all been there. Unfortunately, that feeling isn’t uncommon for adults, either, and it’s something that we all need to work on, even if it’s just one slice after another. The good news is that, even though that dark space in your mind and body feels pretty intense, it’s not the end of your journey, and it’s definitely not the last time that you can tackle that project. Here’s how you can get that motivation back:

Step 1: Breathe.

What happened, happened, and you can’t go back and change the fact that it did. (If you can retake a test, great, but not everyone is so lucky.) Clear your mind with some deep breathes, because you’re just getting warmed up, and all the world’s going to see your determination and dedication.

Step 2: Understand the Problem.

This is probably the hardest part of everything, because you need to humble yourself enough to analyze what went wrong the first time. Did you study enough? Was there something on your mind? What answers got away from you and why? Another question to ask yourself is: “Do I care?” If you don’t care about what you’re doing, then you’re going to put out sub par work and effort. Should you completely hate the subject and have only a legal obligation to complete it, then find a silver lining; what will completing this task gain you?

Step 3: Make a Game Plan.

Once you’ve discovered the issue from the first failure, then build a solid way to carry your new goal home. Realized you didn’t study enough? Set aside a specific time for studying each day so that it doesn’t get away from you. Did your nerves get the best of you during your recital? Try practicing in front of more people each day, and tell yourself every day with a new inspirational quote or two that you’ve got this!

Step 4: Rock It.

Plain and simple — own your next task, project, test, recital, whatever. You got this. We are all human, and subject to setbacks at one point or another, because no one is perfect. Take the ashes of your last failure and use them to birth the phoenix that is your next triumph.