You Will Fail. End of Story. Get Used To It. :)

This week we read an article from the "Investor's Business Daily" about 10 traits that a successful person should have. The very first one on the list was the one that caught my attention the most. It was: How You Think Is Everything. This one was most important to me because in order to protect myself, I often think negatively. Doing so gives me a reason to fail and makes it okay to fail. I often think that by thinking positively, and then failing, that I will be even more disappointed than before.

I believe that a lot of people feel this way, though, not just me. We are always trying to protect ourselves from physical and emotional pain, both of which can come from failing at something. That's why whether you are taking a test or playing a sport, it is easier to think negatively about what you are doing and to think you are going to fail, that way if you fail it seems justified and if you succeed, it feels even more rewarding. By thinking positively, most people believe you are setting yourself up for disappointment because you are more inclined to be extremely disappointed should you fail.

So how do we deal with this? The easy answer is to just stop think negatively and to start thinking positively, but it is not that easy. If it were, then we would not have this problem in the first place. I believe the first thing people need to do is to have no fear and to practice, practice, practice. In sports, practice is a place where it is okay to try new things and to fail or make a mistake because that is how you get better for competitive games. The second thing people need to know is that it is OK to fail, it is! If we didn't fail once in awhile, then people wouldn't think we were human. I hate to break it to you, but failing is a part of life. YOU WILL NEVER GO THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT FAILING, so get used to it. :)