You’ve probably heard Henry Thoreau’s quote, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Teddy Roosevelt said it another way, “Most men live in that gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat.”

My fear is that if you have never had that good feeling of success, you probably never will. But if you who have enjoyed this mental phenomenon, you must continually strive to rekindle that spark and keep fanning the glowing ember until it once again becomes a raging fire that ignites your desire.

If you look at the stories of successful people, you’ll also see a pattern of success followed by failure followed by success again. Success and failure seem to form two railroad tracks that run together in the same direction. This is because success is bred out of failure.

Winners have a “rags to riches” attitude. They understand that there is a price to be paid for success.

So, when you stumble or experience losses, remember to pursue a positive attitude and look for opportunities to grow out of failure. Make sure that no matter what, you are “failing forward” toward the direction of your ultimate goals in life.