I attended a conference where the CEO of Deschutes Brewery, Gary Fish, spoke about the top ten lessons he had learned in business. The one that sang most to my heart was "Celebrate Failure." I've had personal experience of this and I've focused on this with my clients. If you don't risk failing, how will you ever know if it is effective or not? You're not safe if you're succeeding. Sometimes deliberate or accidental risks can result in astonishing success.

Walt Disney didn't start with Mickey. Prior to the cute little mouse there was 'Oswald' the Rabbit, Alice and bankruptcy. According to Disney: "You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."

Stephen Spielberg had a tough childhood, bad grades, and was unpopular growing up. He encountered many "Nos" in the early days of his film making. Did he quit making films at this point? Steven Spielberg is reputed to have taken each rejection he encountered in his early days of shooting movies and transforming it into a different path for success.'

Then there's Lance Armstrong who certainly didn't win every race except his renowned race with cancer; Oprah Winfrey who overcame early racial prejudice and sexual abuse; James Earl Jones who triumphed over a severe stutter that would have held most people back from trying anything that had to do with speaking. Who doesn't know the Michael Jordan story?

Each of these people risked being heard and seen doing something they were unsure of. This took diligence, confidence and courage. Do they have more diligence, confidence or courage than you do? Perhaps at this very moment but this doesn't have to be the story of your life. You can change. It all begins in your mind.

As you read this, what specific area of your life jumps out? Is it in personal relationships? Work, health or speaking your mind? I know of a successful business that encourages their employees to speak up with the "dumbest idea" during the weekly meeting. Dumb ideas, so called, frequently become something quite large.

As you are living your week, examine your life and try to find one way you can extend yourself and be a bit more than who you always were in your past. Take that risk. If necessary, celebrate your failure as it indicates what doesn't work. Now, look for what does.

Foster new stories about how you celebrated failure, or took the risk of failure and enjoyed amazing results in your business. Enjoy your discoveries and have an amazing week.