Failure. We hesitate starting because we want to avoid it. We procrastinate trying because we don't want to experience it. We delay doing because we dread it. For many of us, failure is our worst nightmare.

If you're anything like me, you have no desire to be perceived, known, or remembered as a failure. In every area of your life, you want to be a seen as a success. And this is perfectly normal.

The problem is, success requires failure.

Strike-outs precede home runs. Boos precede applause. Dislikes precede likes. Rejection precedes acceptance. Misses precede makes. No-shows precede packed houses. Denials precede discovery.

To expect to attain great success without first experiencing massive failure is a pipe dream. Give me an example of someone who has achieved greatness without first confronting weakness, and I'll show you the exception and not the rule. Failure is a prerequisite for success.

With that in mind, a paradigm shift must occur as it relates to our view of failure.

Failures aren't people who fail. Failures are people who don't try.

It is not in the striking out that you fail, you only fail by deciding to not put on a helmet, step up to the plate, and swing the bat! It is not in receiving the boos that you fail, you only fail by refusing to get on the stage and give your performance a try! It is not in receiving the rejection letter that you fail, you only fail by never turning in the application! It is not in having very few people show up that you fail, you only fail by being unwilling to open the doors!

So if you're really as serious about success as you say you are, embrace, endure, and even enjoy failure. Make the decision, today, to fail faster. It's only through failure that you will get feedback. It's only through failure that you will know what to improve. It's only through failure that you will find out what doesn't work. It's only through failure that you will succeed.

I understand that being turned down is miserable. I agree that no one paying attention to you sucks. I hate that humiliation hurts. But, in the final analysis...

If you consistently try and fail, success is a possibility, but If you constantly fail to try, failure will be your reality.