Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. -Napoleon Hill

Do you ever feel like you’ve made so many mistakes that you will never end up like some of the amazing success stories you hear about? Well, you are in good company! In almost every success story, you’ll find a chapter or two (or three!) about mistakes. For example, Steve Jobs was fired from his own company. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison. Abraham Lincoln failed in business and was defeated in eight elections. J.K. Rowling was a single mom on welfare when she began writing the first "Harry Potter" novel. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.

All of these respected figures have found success despite their mistakes. What do they have in common?

1. They accepted that failure was part of the success. When you are faced with a setback, understand that it is not your final destination. It is just a stepping stone on your journey to where you want to be. 

2.   They all failed forward. Failing forward means that we learn from our mistakes, we make adjustments and we implement those adjustments until we succeed. Every change we make, every person we encounter and every bit of information we absorb is merging together so that we can create a different outcome. 

3.   They realized that nothing worthwhile came easy. Success is a marathon, not a sprint. It will take some time to reach our potential, but sometimes we forget just how much work and effort it’s going to take to achieve something notable. During this time, remember that you are building character and perseverance. Keep going.

Failure is painful. Sometimes it leaves a lasting mark, and it may be difficult to overcome. But failure is also necessary. Everyone loves a great comeback story, and you are writing your story right now! Remember, highly successful people are the ones who have failed the most.

In 2008, J.K. Rowling spoke to the graduating class of Harvard. She didn’t talk about her success. Rather, she spoke of her failures. She said, “You might never fail on the scale I did, but it is impossible to live without failure at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all. In which case, you fail by default.” 

Possibly it could be as simple as changing your career path. When you consider what you have learned along the way, you do understand that the lessons can be valuable almost anywhere. There are many financial options in society today and you should explore your possibilities. see more - www.cooperprofessionals.com