Handling 'failure' is key to happiness

This kind of thinking also improves your problem-solving skills so that the next time you have a challenge, you'll have more ideas and energy to correct the situation. It also builds your confidence because you fixed the problem yourself. Those who take the easy way out and simply walk away from a possible failure never reap those benefits. They also spend the rest of their lives wondering what could have been, and for me that's a very sad prospect.

To begin the stepping-stone approach, start by believing that you haven't failed; you just found some ways that didn't work for you at the moment. Your work might need to be tuned up, but don't scrap it. Keeping a file of all your ideas, the ones that worked and the ones that didn't. That is a great way to avoid losing a gem. Even if the idea isn't the right one the first time you thought of it, you may well find a use for it in the future.

There is an old saying that those who do not learn from their mistakes will repeat them.