“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” – Paulo Coelho

Have you ever had anything go wrong in your life? Maybe something you were responsible for or a dream that didn’t come to fruition?

 Do you ever feel the Britney Spears song, “Oops!… I Did It Again” describes your life perfectly?

 If so, congratulations!

 YOU. ARE. NORMAL.

 Everyone fails.

 As much as we’d like to not fail, it’s inevitable.

 But how we handle it is the key to success.

 “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy

 Imagine that in some parts of your life, you’ve failed…most likely again.

 Now what?

 First, take time to acknowledge that you did fail.

 Don’t deny it.

 Ignoring things didn’t go as planned, whether on a large or small scale, doesn’t help find a solution or lead to success.

 It’s essential that you feel your emotions.

Whether they be anger, sadness, grief, impatience, frustration, or something else, you deserve – and need –  to take the time to fully immerse yourself in how you feel. 

BUT one of the best things about failing is that success is eventually in your future.

Don’t give up!

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

What are the steps to success?

Take responsibility for your part in the failure. It could be all of it or some of it. Whatever the amount, own it.

Step back from your failure and analyze it as an outsider.

• What could you have done differently?
• What worked? What didn’t?
• Were you as organized as you could be?
• Did you forget any steps?
• Did you misread the situation?
• Were you over-confident?
• Did you do your best or mail it in?

If you are stuck in a blind spot, chat about your dilemma with someone outside the situation. Get a different perspective or ‘fresh eyes.’ While describing your endeavor, you may talk yourself around to the solution.

Now that you’ve analyzed the situation and are aware of some of the possible mistakes you’ve made, learn from them, and make adjustments.

Tweak what needs to be tweaked. Throw out ideas that didn’t belong in the first place. 

Make a new plan for success.

“It’s failure that gives you the proper perspective on success.” – Ellen DeGeneres 

Keep in mind that success feels so much better after a failure.

Or maybe more than one failure. Or more than two.

Thomas A. Edison said it best, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Never forget that you’re human. Failure is going to keep happening.

When you feel defeated or disillusioned or just downright tired of things not going your way, look to the “winners” and see how they got there.

Every successful person has failed. And they’ll fail again.

Such is life.

“We are all failures – at least the best of us are.” – J.M. Barrie

So, remember, you’re not alone. 

Sometimes, it’s helpful to have a sounding board. Not so much someone to solve your problem, but someone to listen to you and encourage you.

With that in mind, make sure you surround yourself with positive people who lift you up and elevate you to the next level.

“What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?” – John Green

So get out there and try! And try again! Because failures will happen, but so will amazing things. And you don’t want to miss out on making them happen!