All of us desire to be successful. Most of us have big dreams. We try very hard to achieve what we want in life. However, on our way to achieving those dreams, when faced with failure, we may totally shut down.

Sometimes we won’t even try accomplishing the same task again just because we failed the first time. We think to ourselves, that if we failed once, we will probably fail again. Consciously or unconsciously, the fear of failure affects our performance. Fear of failure can stop you from even trying to accomplish your goal. Fear actually blocks your creative energy. So, what exactly can be done to overcome this?

Changing point of view: First of all, we have to stop looking at failure in a negative way. People tend to link failure with weakness and stupidity. This is completely untrue. Any attempt at success, itself, is courageous. Where there is imperfection, there is potential for improvement. When one is aware of his limitations, one has the potential for personal growth. Conversely, a person laboring under the illusion of "perfection," is less likely to work on himself. In failure, we need to see the opportunities for growth.

Don’t label yourself a “failure”: If you fail in something, don’t think of yourself as a failure. It simply means that you haven’t yet succeeded in accomplishing your intended goal. Here is a beautiful example: There was a man who failed in business at the age of 21; was defeated in a legislative race at the age of 22; failed again in business at 24; overcame the death of his girlfriend at 26; had a nervous breakdown at 27; lost a congressional race at age of 34; lost a senatorial race at age 45; failed to become Vice President at the age 47; lost a senatorial race at 49; and was elected as the President of the United States at the age of 52! He was none other than Abraham Lincoln. He could have labeled himself a failure early on but instead, he decided to ignore failure, fight against all odds and become a huge success!

Question everything: It is very important to always think for yourself. Avoid worrying about what others will think of you. What do you think of yourself? If your parents want you to become a doctor but you have a passion and a gift for art, then go after it with reckless abandon! Living your life to please others will not fulfill you. You’ll never find true happiness chasing someone else’s dream. Don’t ever blindly follow the crowd or aimlessly align yourself with popular opinion.

See what you have learned: When you fail to do something, look back and see how much you have learned from the experience. The knowledge that you gain from failure will enable you to succeed down the road. Thomas Edison failed approximately 10,000 times while he was developing the light bulb, but didn’t stop until he accomplished his goal. With determination and drive, he was tremendously successful. It’s so important to remember that every failure provides a valuable lesson.

Never give up: No matter how people react to your failure, you should not quit. If you give up after every time you fail, you will literally accomplish nothing. You mustn’t indulge in the sorrow of your failure, but rather look ahead to your next opportunity to get it right. Always quitting will only insure that you will never see any project reach fruition. You’ll lose the opportunity to hone your skills and you will become stuck in an endless cycle of failures. Your dreams will never see the light of day. Every success story is also a story of a great failures. However, the failures that you endure will make your success taste that much sweeter.

Be patient: Don’t get discouraged if it is taking a little longer than you expected. Just because things are not manifesting according to your plan does not mean that they will not happen at all. Failure may delay the process of achievement but it doesn’t mean that you should completely give up. It does, however, provide an opportunity to learn patience and perseverance.

We need to update our dictionaries and change some definitions. “Failure” is one of those words. From today on, let’s regard failure as an experience to learn from. Failure is merely a detour on your road to success, and not a dead end. Now go make your dreams a reality!

Chandresh Bhardwaj is founder of Break the Norms. An ardent student of spirituality, he has been learning the ancient science of spiritual wisdom through sages & monks in India. Chandresh helps people reach their full potential with the power of the inner self. He also offers customized programs for selfgrowth based on the lines of ancient eastern spirituality. www.BreakTheNorms.com