The National Youth Agency: Comment - A lesson, not defeat

It often seems that we're a lot keener to celebrate or wallow in failure than we are in success. Perhaps it's because the celebration of triumph is seen as an American trait, a facet of their behaviour that often comes across as arrogant or self-seeking.

But surely to constantly focus on doing ourselves down is not helping young people, many of whom may have issues with their developing identity and self-esteem. The prospect of failure consequently becomes all the more terrifying, and not - as the Americans might have it - a learning phase, a part of our progression to bettering ourselves. For example, how many times did we have to endure watching those scenes of Paula Radcliffe pulling out of the marathon in Athens? She pulled up - big deal; it happens.