17 People Who Are Just...Trying Their Best

Sometimes, the difference between victory and disaster is a singular moment of critical thinking. A little attention to detail might be the difference between someone looking at you with a twinkle of pride and saying, "Hey, good job!" or awkwardly smiling while throwing you a half-hearted compliment like, "Well...um...you tried!"

Elaine and George from "Seinfeld" in a kitchen, looking confused; Elaine gestures while George holds fingers up
Castle Rock Entertainment / Via Netflix

It can't hurt to give something a second look before introducing it to the world for all to judge, right? Right! Here are 17 photos of people who were close — like, SO CLOSE — to success, and yet, so far away:

1.Someone just needs to grab a pen and change that T to a P or I'm calling HR:

Sign next to an elevator reads "PLEASE T' AINT DO NOT TOUCH" with a diagram of evacuation routes above it

2.This person seemed to confuse "in the trash" with "on the trash":

A slice of pizza on top of a public litter bin
u/justcompile / Via reddit.com

3.This person who technically locked the door, but missed the crucial step of — y'know — closing the door first:

A locked door, but still left ajar
u/[deleted] / Via reddit.com

4.This sign is just one flip away from success:

A "Coast Guard" sign upside down

5.And this sign that just needs to buy a vowel:

"ain't got no lektric"

6.This coffee cup that's right NEXT to not one, but two coasters:

a cup next to two coasters

7.This person who either needs to specify the name brand or tell us which yellow they're referring to:

Sign at a soda fountain reads "No ice, no yellow, thanks management," possibly indicating an issue with the ice machine and a specific soda

8.This person who wanted to remember which day their juice was made:

Hand holding a plastic bottle with handwritten "today" on it

9.This person who put an unnecessary human touch on the "pickup" part of a pickup truck:

a person carrying something outside the window of a truck
u/Fly-Bry / Via reddit.com

10.This sign is either super close to correctly saying "3.05," or the gas actually costs E dollars and five cents:

A gas station sign with the price backwards
u/InternationalLoss440 / Via reddit.com

11.This attempt at inclusion horrifically missed the mark, but it could very easily rebrand to a sick skateboarding ramp:

Steep wooden staircase outside with 'good luck' message, appears unsafe
u/morgiethib / Via reddit.com

12.And this attempt at sustainability that should have thought twice on the plastic wrap:

a paper straw covered in plastic attached to a cup
u/Throwawayanonymoussi / Via reddit.com

13.This teensy typo of disrespect to Professor Birch:

Mistyped email to a professor, humorously addressing them as "Professor Bitch" instead of Birch
@birchlse / Via reddit.com

14.These encouraging messages that would be much more encouraging if they weren't side-by-side:

Two pieces of paper on a wall with misaligned text reading "You Don't Matter Give up" humorously implying a demotivating quote
u/maa2148 / Via reddit.com

15.I'm hoping this was supposed to say "We have the best roasted chicken in town," or I'll be really worried about the residents of Chicken Town.

"We have roasted in the best chicken town"
u/Psychological-Ad4935 / Via reddit.com

16.This "rum and Coke" order that turned into a Ramen Coke experience:

Swollen instant noodle cup beside a Coke Zero can on an airplane tray table

17.And finally, this cat who technically did go potty *in* their litter box:

Cat partly hidden by curtain near a litter box, with a visible puddle on the floor
u/Aziire12 / Via reddit.com

H/T to: r/AnAttemptWasMade, r/funny, r/dontdeadopeninside, r/mildlyinfuriating