One of the critical skills for ongoing success is the ability to bounce back from adversity. Sooner or later in life everyone experiences failure, disappointment, setbacks or loses the desire to keep on keeping on.

Just because you have failed doesn't mean you are a failure. Just because you have achieved success doesn't make you a success. Many people have hit bottom, only to climb out and achieve greatness; many people have done great things only to end up broke, alone, and without any lasting feeling of accomplishment.

Success and failure are neutral concepts. What makes either of them positive or negative is not the event, circumstance, or situation but what you do with them along the path of life. No one I have ever met has had a life filled with nothing but failure or one success after another. Resilience is your ability to keep coming back, again and again and again. No matter how many times life throws you a curve or brings you to your knees, you try again - you try something, new, different, or old in a new way. You refuse to give in or up. Here are a few ideas to consider when you feel like quitting.

• It is temporary.

• You need it so you could learn a valuable lesson.

• You need to be softened by life.

• You need it to give your life more integrity or character.

• You need it so you can be an example for others.

• You need to rid yourself of some arrogance or ignorance.

• You need it to grow in some area of your life.

• You need it so you can learn to laugh at yourself.

• You need it so you can learn to live in the present.

• You need it so you can learn to take life less seriously.

  Regardless of your current station in life or circumstances you CAN rise again. All you have to do is reach inside and find courage, strength, stamina, attitudes, self-belief, self-confidence, and passion to rekindle your desire for what you believe you can do, will do, were meant to do, love to do, or want to do. Hang on to your dream, no matter how big it might seem to you. And, don't let others convince you that you can't do it, won't do it, or shouldn't do it. Be true to yourself and your destiny. You have everything you need, right now, inside of you to carry on. All you have to do is do it.

  Success quote for the week: Be with what is - so that what is to be, may become. -S. Kierkegaard