Winning someone’s heart isn’t always as easy as it looks in the movies, and these guys learned that the hard way. In this article, 10 men share their stories of rejection, missteps, and awkward moments. But instead of dwelling on the fails, they walked away with a solid dose of self-acceptance. Because sometimes, the real win is just owning who you are!

I was 7, and I had a crush on a girl. It was Valentine’s Day and I wanted to impress her, so I tried to smell good. I didn’t own cologne, so I used baby powder. Like head to toe underneath my clothes was covered in baby powder.

I also made a Valentine’s Day card that had this picture of me and her holding hands. Everyone mocked me, and I was so nervous I vomited on her. Upon realizing my mistake, I blurted out, “I’m so sorry, I love you!” as I was trying to clean the vomit off of her with my bare hands. Safe to say, she didn’t feel the same way.