Letting down the people I love.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Question
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Time & hindsight
Question
What would you like to be remembered for?
Death & what remains
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Question
Which moment embarrassed you most?
Failure & regret
Question
What is the worst job you have done?
Craft & work
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
This exact question recurs in The Guardian's institutional Q&A pool.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Not understanding myself until I was in my 30s.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 25 November 2023 source ↗
Others on this question
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Olly Alexander
English singer and actor
Early in my career I got really close to being one of the kids in the Narnia movie. I remember being crushed.
Liam Gallagher
English singer-songwriter
Oasis splitting up.
Judy Murray
Scottish tennis coach
That Scottish tennis has failed to capitalise on the successes of Jamie and Andy.
More from Tom Allen
View profile →The fear of nightmares.
Never save anything for best.
The greatest athlete we never knew we had.
On holiday in Spain with my family about 20 years ago. Sad, but true.
I did a corporate gig early in my career, and they opened the buffet in the middle of my set and everybody left.
I once had to sit on a sleigh and pretend to be Bing Crosby for a corporate party. I had to mime to White Christmas over and over again.
More on failure & regret
- Who most deserves an apology from you, and why? 209 answers
- If you could edit your past, what would you change? 203 answers
- What is the worst thing anyone has said to you? 122 answers
- Which moment embarrassed you most? 122 answers
- How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure? 63 answers
- What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? 36 answers
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