Have you ever held back on doing something because you were afraid of failure?  Most people have!  Let's face it; no one likes to fail.  None of us likes to feel like we're ineffective, weak or lacking in any way, and that's exactly how failure makes us feel.

I remember as a young boy playing football with my older brother and his older friends.  I was so afraid that I was going to drop the ball if my brother threw it to me.  I was afraid of letting him down.  I didn't want the ball to come anywhere near me.  I later realized that everyone dropped one sometimes, and that if I did drop one, I would be better prepared for the next one.

It may surprise you to know that failure doesn't exist – until YOU say it does.  In the dictionary, failure has several definitions:  1) a failing to do or perform 2) a state of inability to perform a normal function adequately 3) a fracturing or giving way under stress 4) a lack of success.

Look carefully at those definitions and you'll probably realize they have one thing in common when it comes to goal achievement:  failure is a PERCEPTION.

If you believe you have failed, then you have.  If you believe you don't have the ability to succeed, then you don't.  If you believe you can't handle the pressure of achieving your goals, you can't.  If you believe you're not successful, you aren't.  Failure only exists in your own mind!  The moment you decide togive up or stop working toward your goals, failure is born.

But what if you never do that?  What if you continue working toward your goals, one step at a time for as long as it takes?  What if it makes you better, stronger?  There's no failure then, is there?

This insight should be very encouraging if you've been working toward goals and not yet seeing positive results.  Simply keep going and you cannot fail! You will be amazed by how much you will learn and grow.

Here are three tips to help you stay strong and focused on your goals:

1)    Never give yourself an out.  Most people do this without even realizing it.  They are willing to work hard on achieving their goals, until the going gets too rough or their motivation dwindles.  Don't do that!  Commit to making your goals happen, no matter what!  Never quit, never contemplate admitting failure, and never lose your inner determination.

2)    Don't get hooked on a specific time frame for completion.  It's okay to set a general timeline, but be aware that some circumstances will be beyond your control, so you can't say for sure when your goal will be achieved.  If you do that, you're just setting yourself up for failure!  Instead, get a general idea of when you'd like your goal to be completed, but then take it a day at a time and focus on making progress, not reaching the finish line in as little time as possible.  You can and will always want to create new goals anyway.

3)    Finally, be sure that you don't view obstacles and setbacks as failures.  The two are completely different.  An obstacle, setback or delay means only one thing:  it's not time for your goal to be completed yet.  That's it!  It doesn't mean you failed; it doesn't mean you're weak; it doesn't mean you'll never achieve your goals.  It simply means you're not done yet.  You've got to keep moving forward and find a way around or through the obstacle.

This is growth in action.  Fail your way to your goal.  The more persistent you are, the more you will learn and grow.  So Grow for your goal with blinders on and you will achieve!

Self Empower,

Terry Poster