I failed. Now what?

On the other side of the room, I saw friends I grew up with, seemingly ‘succeeding’ perpetually at life; whether it be in creativity or business. They had thousands of followers, decent looks and nice clothes. So many of these people seemed to uphold a great highlight reel all year round. I post my thoughts on any platform and the response is less than the sound of a fart. Minimal interaction, only a dollop of recognition. So appreciating I am of the one or two dollops, why can’t that be enough? Why do I need to lather my soul with more creamy validation?