You may not think of it on first brush but consider this fact that failure and success are both steps in the same direction.

When a person fails at something they may mistakenly believe they are heading in the opposite direction from the success they desire. Yet when you really think about the positive implications of failure you have to conclude that being a failure at anything is a sure step in the right direction to your success. Both failure and success are steps in the right direction and they are more like twin sisters than distant relatives.

Have you considered why this is true?

We start with failure because most of us are experts in this field. If you ask a random person if they considered themselves a failure or a success they would most likely tell you they have failed more than a time or two in the past. They may even go on to tell you a juicy story of a recent failing and falling and how they missed reaching a goal or a dream.

After they conclude their litany of disaster ask them about their successes. They would confront you angrily saying, "I just told your how I failed and that should have showed you clearly that I am not a success."

We can find all sorts of evidence to remind us of failure but we have to really scour our memory banks to tell a story of a success or a result we feel proud about. Why is it that we are pros on the litany of failing but rank as amateurs in declaring our success?

I like what the motivational speaker Earl Nightingale said about success. "Success is the progressive realization of a worthwhile goal." Did you notice the emphasis on the progress and the journey rather than the destination? The key to a successful and an abundant life is to understand that success is a journey not so much a destination and that failing and falling down are a stepping stones toward our dreams, desires, and goals.

In other words failure with the right kind of attitude is a giant leap toward success.

Real self development and self improvement come in recognizing this larger understanding about failure.

Because we value success so much, we tend to exaggerate the effects of failure. We wrongly conclude that failure means we did not succeed. But failure isn't the end of the world. You won't die from it. With failure -- you fail, you pick yourself up and you go on.

One of the best ways to bounce back from failure is to redefine it. Failure is not failing to reach your dreams. Failure is not having a dream. Failure is not setting a goal and missing it. Failure is not having a goal. Failure is not falling down. Failure is refusing to get back up.

If at first you don't succeed, big deal! It's usually the second, third or fourth time you actually get it right. You are never a failure until you give up. Remember, everybody fails. And especially remember that failure is simply a step in a noble direction.

If we never failed then we would never be taking a risk or dreaming a worthwhile dream. Life is always celebrated when we reach that finish line and raise the trophy of our accomplishment. But as you pursue you noble plans and visions for your life always use your failures as learning and stepping stones in the right direction. So you see by failing you are setting yourself up to surely succeed.

Have at it right now. Go ahead and take the risk. Go ahead and fail. Because that means you are well on your way to your sure success. So you see in order to succeed all you have to do is fail a lot and learn from it.

Bill McBride
http://www.AttractingYourAbundance.com/Abundance