We have all heard sayings like, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade;" but what if you don't like lemonade? The obvious answer is, "Sell the lemonade and buy something you DO like with your profits." But that doesn't work if you're stuck whining about the lemons. To move forward in life, we must stop looking at the past -- at what life HAS given us -- and look toward the future. If life has given you failure, life has also moved you one step closer to success.
When babies learn to walk, they don't start by putting on shoes and walking; they crawl first. And then, they fall many times before they walk. As they say, "The road to success is paved with failures;" you must walk before you run, and you must fall many times before walking. Thomas Edison is famous for his successes -- but also for his failures. Edison had a way of pointing out the key element of his success -- though the wisdom was lost on most. Once, when asked by a reporter how it felt to "finally invent the light bulb after failing over 2,000-times," Edison replied, "I didn't fail once; I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2,000-step process."
Success is not the teacher failure is. Though "success breeds success," failure is the shepherd that guides you to success. Sometimes the only way to "know" how to do a thing is to eliminate everything that doesn't work; some call this, "trial and error." But this isn't to say that success must come at a price, or that success always takes work and effort. Quite the contrary; if you pay attention to your successes AND failures, you will find whatever success you're looking for.
Keep a positive attitude; and do what the wise ones have always done -- look for the wisdom and gift in every situation. The person who immediately proclaims, "I've failed!" has indeed failed by failing to take stock of what was learned. Another person may have used the same results as insight or inspiration to achieve their goal by simply saying, "Well, that's one more thing that doesn't work. But, look what I've learned!" Indeed, seeing the gift of wisdom in every "failure" is, in and of itself, success. And, if you can master this, your ideas -- and efforts -- will prove to be even more fruitful than you had imagined!
Pete Koerner is the author of The Belief Formula: The Secret to Unlocking the Power of Prayer. The Belief Formula is a look at how the mind and body work together to create or attract your experiences and shape your body and life. For more information, go to: www.ExploreExpandEvolve.com
*For a Free Report on Making The Belief Formula Work for You, visit: http://www.TheBeliefFormula.com