That’s a great quote from the Apollo 13 mission. Despite numerous problems, and let’s call them mini-failures, along the way, NASA did manage to get the Apollo 13 spacecraft safely back to earth.

Does that maybe sound a little like some of your New Years resolutions? If not this year, in past years? How many times have we all had mini-failures in our efforts to eat better, exercise more and lose weight?

What matters is not how many failures we have, it’s how many times we try again.

Failure is an opportunity to figure out what went wrong that time, and plot a strategy for success on the next try. Perhaps you modify the goal, or the path to reach the goal, or both.

Failure is really the successful elimination of another plan that did not work.

Everybody fails at some time and at some thing. Successful people learn from failure and move on. People who are perceived as being a success are undoubtedly failing at something else at the same time.

One of my constant battles is not to get down on myself while playing golf. I tend to get mad at myself for missing a shot, which often leads to another bad shot, and another. Since I began making a concerted effort to swing the golf club NATO, I have improved my score, my game, my handicap, and my fun.

So, how do you overcome failure? And who can tell me what NATO means?