Do Not Be Discouraged

When faced with failure, reflect on this Japanese proverb: "Fall seven times, stand up eight." As long as you keep getting up, you are not failing.

Those who learn how to overcome failure become stronger. Let's face it, we are all confronted with failure. The difference is how we deal with it.

Some people use failure as an excuse to give up, to become bitter, or cynical. Other people look at failure as an opportunity to revisit past decisions and to devise new strategies.

Thousands of successful people did not achieve success on their first try, but they were not discouraged. They picked themselves up and went back at it with an even stronger, single minded tenacity to achieve their goal.

Do not be discouraged if your plans do not succeed the first time. No one learns to walk by taking only one step!

--by Catherine Pulsifer