Winston Churchill said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Most people want to be successful and at the same time have a real fear of failure. What can you do?
         Set Written Goals: Without written goals there is a reduced sense of accomplishment. Your goals have to be realistic with checkpoints and milestones that also deserve celebration when they are achieved. It is also OK to modify your goals once you have them … but you first have to have them! Invest in planning and you will reap a huge return on your investment.
         Believe in yourself: You have to have faith that you can achieve. Will you make mistakes? Yes, but don’t give up! People fail because they don’t put in enough effort to succeed. You have to work at being successful and it IS work! Remember, each failure is a step toward success. In other words, keep on trying! Focus solely on the present and realize that the past is over. If you hit an impasse, consider a break from your alleged failure and take some time to recharge your batteries.
         Be positive. The power of positive thinking is real. To quote Willie Nelson, “Once you replace your negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” Another one of my favorite quotes is “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are probably right!” Be your own best cheerleader. Recognize even those small successes and don’t dwell on the misses. It is funny how we can do 72 wonderful things and not take the time to bask in our accomplishments. Then we have one thing go wrong and we beat ourselves up over and over about it.
         Be realistic. Regularly assess your performance. If you have given your best effort and a situation is truly not working,
have the strength to assess the situation and move on. It’s all too easy to make excuses for a situation that simply isn’t viable. This may not be what you are meant to do and that’s OK. Once you decide to do something different, pat yourself on the back for recognizing the need to move on. That too is a step toward success!