To be a success, one must first be a failure, the ancient saying holds. In truth, we must fail to even know how to succeed. It's in learning from those failures that we learn the way to succeed. With a focus on trial-and-error and the elimination of mistakes made in the past, we perfect the process and move forward. If, as Viktor Frankl wrote, failure is a rehearsal for success, then we can see that failure is a necessary thing in any successful person's life.

To focus on failure as if it is an obstacle to success rather than a necessary step toward it is to lose the entire point of progress. After a failure, one should see it as an opportunity to learn the problems in our approach. We can use that failure as building blocks toward success.

Whenever you endure a failure, there is a five point system of discovery that may be used to glean quality information about problems in a venture or in our approach to it.

1) Where were you mentally and psychologically during the failure? Did you make some change in lifestyle that might have impacted your approach?

2) Has it happened before? How conscious were you of the choices being made at the time you experienced a failure? Did you lose track of data? Did you go off course? Did you lose focus?

3) Do you see yourself as a failure? Remember, failure is properly an act that fails, not a person. Are you manifesting your destiny due to low self-esteem?

4) Have you endeavoured to focus on success? Do you see it as a far-off, abstract goal? Do you have a clear path to your goals? Do you even know what your goals are?

5) Take stock of your skill sets and information. What else do you need to know or learn to further your success map? Do you have a success map?

6) Focus on your past in terms of your future. Are you the hero in your own story? When you think of someone who is a winner, are you the sort of person you see? What changes can you make in yourself to improve your state of mind or help you envision yourself as a winner? Would losing or gaining weight, or making some other change aid that image in your mind?

7) Finally, forgive yourself the past. Your failure is behind you. Tomorrow is another day.