Failure is jarring, but it's not ultimate. Our stagnation is, more often than not, sustained by pursuits that yield nothing but validation. We are dying, to look good.
To folks whose adulthoods don't reflect their brilliance, scholarly credentials, or talent; it may be a little late a lesson, but life owes no success for your accumulations, but rather what you do in the arena. There is no pension scheme for unrealized potential. Sad, but true.