But before I do, grab a pen(cil) and paper for a quick five-minute
exercise.

Okay, ready?

Divide the page into three columns. Head the first column with "The
Failures of My Life" (don't worry about the second two columns for
the time being). Now list all the failures – small and large – that
you can remember ever having. Free-write for the next five minutes. (If
you are new to free-writing, see Travelling Life's Highway).

Here's the next step … head the second column with "The
Results". Next to failure number one write down results associated
with that failure. One word responses are quite acceptable! This will
probably take less than five minutes.

Finished?
If you are feeling a tad miserable at this very moment, please don't
worry – most other people doing this exercise are feeling the same way
so don't beat yourself up about it. Failures are such a negative
aspect of life …. and acknowledging those memories – memories
you'd rather forget – have a reaction on the body.

Now, here's the most important part of the exercise ….. head the
third column with "WHAT I LEARNT". The procedure is the same …
next to failure number one write down what you learnt from the
experience.

How did it go? Do you now have a page of failures and what you learnt
from the experiences? Fantastic!

Are you ready for the crunch …. If you learnt something from the
experience, how could the experience have been a failure?
Are you likely to use the same methods or perform the same actions as
before? Of course not – because you learnt from the experience, so
that next time – or the time after that – you will achieve your
required goal.

Here's something for you to think about, and digest…

FAILURE IS SUCCESS TURNED INSIDE-OUT

I'm not going to elaborate on that quote because if you think about
it, you'll come to realise that if the statement is true, then
there's no such thing as failure!

Consider this (seriously) …

When we say we are successful, we are saying that we achieved whatever
it was we set out to achieve.

When we say we have failed, we are acknowledging that we didn't
achieve the expected goal.

That's it – simple really. Failure is a negative way of saying we
didn't get the expected outcome.

Allow me to let you in on a little secret … if you want to live an
empowered life the absolute worst thing you could possibly say is
"I'll try" when embarking on a new (ad)venture.
Remove these two words from your vocabulary … immediately (if not
sooner)!

When you say, "I'll try" you are effectively acknowledging that
there is a possibility (no matter how slight) you will not achieve
whatever it is you set out to do. And if you don't achieve the
required result, then you'll probably say, "I failed."

If you REPLACE "I'll try" with "I'll do my best" no matter
what the outcome is, you will feel like a success.

Go back to the exercise: review your list of 'failures' and ask
yourself whether you did your best at that particular time. If you can
say yes, then how could it possibly have been a failure? No-one can ask
more of you than that you do your best. How can you ask more of
yourself if you know you did your best at the time?

It's all about focus, isn't it? And focus is a major contributing
factor to attitude. And attitude determines how empowered you are. And
how empowered you are is relative to the degree of success (not failures
and success) you have in your life.

Here's another something for you to think about, and digest…

THERE ARE ONLY DEGREES OF SUCCESS,NOT FAILURES AND SUCCESS.

As a perfect, gentle reminder, put the following quote somewhere
conspicuous, in large letters so it cannot be missed …

"I HAVE NOT FAILED. I'VE JUST FOUND 10,000 WAYS THAT WON'T WORK."
Thomas Edison (inventor of the electric light)

Where would we be today, if he had given up?

About the author: Barbara Rose is a writer with a passion for
everything! She is also a mentor, coach, teacher and alternative
therapist who specializes in helping people reach their potential at all
levels (spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical). Please visit
www.barbaras-library.com for a complete list of Barbara's articles and
books. To find out more about Barbara please go to
www.barbara-rose.name.