I was sure that last time I checked
Cowardice was defined by the challenges we refuse to face
Not by the troubles that followed.
I would rather become weighted by the burden of a failure
Than relieved of goals I promised.

--MikeyB, an original prose piece, written for theprose.com writing challenge "Cowardice"

People will always criticize and judge you when your attempt to solve a problem doesn't go well. Mistakes are easier to make than solutions, after all. However, the point of the writing piece is this:

There is no greater coward than the man who runs from a problem because of what others will think of him if he fails.

That is a real coward, in my opinion. You set goals for yourself, or promised results to someone else. You owe it to yourself to try something, even if it fails. Who cares what those people say? Who cares what they think? What do they know about your problems? NOTHING. To err is human; to run is cowardice.

If you fight to achieve your goals, and then fail, people will know. They might laugh, judge, or mock you. Let them. You want to know why? Because if you don't fight, they won't know, but you will. The people you failed will know. I would rather have others mock me for messing up than feel the disappointment that follows from breaking a promise to myself or others. Work hard to achieve greatness, or don't try at all.