Bill Gates was a Harvard dropout.He co-owned a business called Traf-O-Data, which failed. Walt Disney was once fired from a Missouri newspaper for “not being creative enough.” Michael Jordan did not make his high school basketball team. So how can you overcome failure in your life?

Accept what happened. You can’t change it. Take a few days to think through what occurred and accept your emotions. If you need to talk it out, find and talk with a trusted friend who is not at all involved in the scenario. If writing helps, write yourself a letter or keep a diary or journal.

Figure out what went wrong. Try to see things from an outsider’s perspective. Take responsibility and don’t make excuses or try to blame others. Ask yourself what really caused the failure. Assess your strengths and discover opportunities for improvement.

Look for ways to improve. Find a balance between optimistic thinking and realistic planning. Don’t put artificial limits nor unrealistic goals on yourself. Take small steps. Find a mentor or a coach. Take a class. Read up on what you want to learn. See your defeat as a minor setback, rather than a total devastation.

Try again … and again! With each effort, hopefully you will get closer to your goal. Don’t make your life one of regrets. The people mentioned above were not afraid to risk failure and neither should you!

November / December, 2015