We climb to heaven mostly on the ruins of our cherished plans, finding our failures were but friendly guide-posts that led us onward and upward to success....... Napoleon Hill

Oh my God! My plans are ruined!!! I am finished! I don't know what else to do!!

Gosh!!! When you suffer a temporal defeat or failure, what do you do about it? Do you go whining all along? Counting all your losses? Or do you get back on your feet, dust yourself up and try again?

Did I hear you say, "Oh! That's not easy. I invested so much in that project". "I lost so much, I can't bear this". O my, I'm so sorry for your loss, but I can assure you this, you can bear that loss and come out of it stronger if only you believe you can.

"You don't get it, I lost everything". Hell no, you did not. If you are still alive, then you did not lose everything. Now let me tell you the story of a young man who lost his sights as a medical student.

Johnson (not his real name) was a medical student in one of the Nigerian universities. In his third year in the University, he had a little issue with eye itching, then he went to the drugs store and bought eye drops. After two days of applying it, he started having blur vision. Few weeks later, he became blind in the right eye. All efforts to protect the left eye from being infected proved abortive. To cut the long story short, he got blind in both eyes.

It was unbelievable and very painful. Few months ago, he was completely whole. His dream of becoming a medical doctor was shattered.

Did he cry? Did he feel hopeless and helpless? Yes, he cried like a baby. He felt like the world was against him. But after a while, he chose the right path. The path to stop inflicting more pains on himself. The path to embrace life and give himself a chance to live, a chance to be happy and a chance to show that though he lost his sight, he did not lose everything.

Johnson enrolled in the school for the blind. He picked up music as a course and today, he is one of the best vocalist and pianist I have ever come across. He didn't become the medical doctor he dreamt of, but he became great in another field.

Sometimes, not all we want come to pass. As I child, I dreamt of being an accountant when I grow up. But along the way, my dreams got shattered. Yet I didn't give up on life. Earlier this year, I already had plans on how I would set-up some projects, but unexpectedly, I lost my money to Ponzi schemes and later on fell sick which lasted for several months.

All through the period I was sick, I kept on saying that I'll never give up on life. Irrespective of the doctor's report, I remained positive. I struggled hard to keep my account active here by dropping posts every week. It wasn't easy, with frequent headaches, back pains, stomach pain and my ribs hurting, I stayed strong. And I overcame. You too can.

I don't know what you have passed through or might be passing through right now, but I want to tell you this; if you believe you will come out of it stronger and better, you will. You have cried enough. You have stayed too long in the zone of self-pity, it's time to draw strength from the within and move on.

No one can encourage you as much as you can encourage yourself. Tell yourself that you can soar above whatever is weighing you down.

That defeat or failure is not the end of your life, so don't you ever give up. They have seen your failure(s), it is time to show them your success.