I have two fun facts for you.
1. Scientific data says 92% of People who set New Year’s goals never actually achieve them. That leaves 8% of people who do achieve those ambitions.
2. 100% of “ALL” people at some point in their life will “FAIL” and “ALL” will “FAIL” multiple times.

Hello everyone, I am George Milton, “The Failure Coach.” A Certified Trainer in Success Principles.

Throughout my life I have fail many times. I failed out of kindergarten, I failed the first grade, I almost didn’t graduate from high school, I failed multiple times trying to get into the military, the Air Force initially and then the Army.

I failed or dropped out of six universities. I failed miserably and often when given training classes after I finally achieved my goal of enlisting into the Army.
Yet I went on to earn four degrees. Two of which are Master’s, all from accredited universities. I have 17 hours toward a doctorate degree, with a 4.0 GPA.

I became a full Colonel in the Army. And, I went on to be inducted into the Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame. As part of my normal duties as a Colonel I briefed Ambassadors and spoke publicly to foreign governments.

After a very slow start in life, how did I go on to accomplish all of this success?

By changing my relationship, my mindset and my attitude regarding “FAILURE.”

Why do people fear failure? Is it because failure, represents a mark of disgrace associated with a specific unfavorable circumstance or experience in our lives? Perhaps it defines the quality of a person one might believe himself to be. Is it because failure signifies shame, disgrace, dishonor; distain, and a blemish on our personhood? For me it comes down to a single word, “stigma.” It seems to me that if most people were honest, they can see how failure in and of itself isn’t necessarily the issue. It’s the “stigma” associated with the failure which creates the problems. Everyone basically knows that they have failed and will at some point in the future, fail again. So, failure isn’t really the problem. It’s the stigma allied with the failure. Which also is attached to our ego.

For many, it is critical for their friends, their community, their families and colleagues see them in a favorable light. Absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be respected and highly thought of. The challenge is, despite how others see you, it’s more important how you see yourself. Particularly when you fail. Pretending or hoping that “everyone” will like you or respect you is setting yourself up for failure. Interesting irony, isn’t it?