Lack of personal success can be a result of many factors.  The things that impact success, or the level of success, that are within your control, are exercised by your own determination.

Failure is defined as a lack of success.  To what degree success is not achieved can be largely subjective; However, ultimately, for the aspects within your control the decision to succeed or not lies with you.

Of course the determination of whether the results represent an acceptable level of accomplishment depend on subjective analysis, both yours and others.

Deciding to Succeed

If you decide not to succeed does that equate to deciding to fail?  My own thought is yes.  While failure can arise due to factors outside your control it is just as likely to occur because you gave up.

In the second Star Wars movie (episode v) the character Yoda states this in a very simple way.   “Do or do not, there is no try.”   If you try there is a conscious acknowledgement a goal is being attempted and you may succeed or fail.

In fact, the decision to succeed requires you to believe in success.  You don’t try, rather you just do.  The things outside of your control willrestrict your ability to do things within the realm of the possible, the things within your control won’t.

Trying restricts your success not only to the realm of the possible but also to your own decision to proceed or give up, “I tried but could not do it.”

Doing and not succeeding is always about factors outside your control.  An extreme example of this for illustrative purposes would be to enter a room without opening the door.

Most likely all you do to  get through the door would fail, not because of what you did, but rather because the door was stronger than you.

Succeed more often than failing by deciding that is what you want.