Articles

Is the VA a Disaster?

Voice of the Veterans: Deployed and Deported 

Voice of the Veterans – Taxes Are Never Stored

Voice of the Veterans: The Unemployment Angle

What Holds Veterans Back?

Does PTSD qualify as a combat-related injury?

The fear of failure has killed more dreams than all other fears combined. The fear of failure is insidious because it’s largely in your imagination. It can also prevent you from even trying in the first place, which guarantees failure. It’s interesting that very small children have no concept of failure. They couldn’t care less if they fail to do something. They just try again. There are no negative thoughts or emotions involved. They just keep on going. But it doesn’t take long before children learn to fear the opinions of others. It’s usually around the time they start school. After that first day of school, we’re all changed forever. It might not be possible to go recapture the mentality of a toddler, but you can come close. The fear of failure doesn’t have to impact your life significantly. Consider these facts: Failure is temporary – unless you quit. Failure isn’t final unless you give up. All the most successful people have experienced a lot of failures. But they ended up being successful precisely because they didn’t quit. Failure is just a temporary state that means nothing because it’s only temporary. Failure is common. You’ve failed thousands of times and managed to survive. Consider how many times you failed to walk or to talk well. Babies have constant failure. Successful people fail all of the time. It’s a huge part of how human beings learn. We realize that our approach didn’t work, we adjust, and we try again. 2. Failure is educational. You can learn something from every single one of your failures. Failure makes you more knowledgeable and capable. The more you fail, the stronger you become. Others are far less concerned about your failure than you think. A few people might notice your failure, but they quickly turn their attention back on themselves and their own challenges. There’s nothing to worry about. Feel free to fail as much as necessary. Fail enough and you’ll quickly see that no one relevant cares. Focus on how great it will be when you succeed. Instead of worrying about possible failure, consider possible success. Make yourself feel excited and positive about taking action. With high enough expectations, you’ll do just about anything without worrying about failure. 3. Redirect your thoughts. Put your attention on what you’re doing. If a negative outcome isn’t going to cause any real harm, forget about the outcome. Stay focused on your actions or something positive. Thinking about failing will freeze you in your tracks. Consider the cost of doing nothing. Taking action might be a little scary, but what will happen if you do nothing? What will you feel about failing to take action? What if you’re stuck in your current life for the next decade or more? Maybe taking a risk is far more attractive than remaining where you are. What would you do if you weren’t afraid of failing? Probably a lot more than you’re currently doing! How much has the fear of failure limited your life? We’ve all allowed the fear of failure to influence our decisions. We’ve allowed this fear to stop us from trying new things or taking risks. We all have smaller lives than we could because we’re too concerned with what others think. Rejecting the fear of failure is one of the greatest things you can do for your future! You can start today. What are you going to do today that you’ve been afraid to try?

Veterans, like civilians, lead different types of lives in the USA. There are super successful veterans who build businesses and consult major corporations on strategy and discipline. There are those who make partners after loyally serving businesses that employ them. And then there are ones who struggle to make ends meet, become drug addicts, and are used to further stereotypes against Veterans.  The key to leading a good life post-service is to manage your transition very well. You might have noticed the high school jock who becomes an outcast in college. Or a college superstar who works minimum wage and only ever talks about his quarterback years.

Success is something we all look for whether it is a successful career, relationship, family, or life. You may see your success in the form of a rewarding career, a loving family, or a cottage home in the country. We all have our own dreams and ideals, but what are the top 10 contributing factors to creating your very own success story? Let’s go through them now. 1. Health: Your health (and the health of your loved ones) is the most important part of success. If money can’t buy you happiness, then it can’t buy you perfect health either. With disease, illness, and uncontrollable health concerns out there, simply living a healthy, long life is a huge success in itself! 2. Healthy Relationships: Learning how to approach, attain, and maximize the different types of relationships in your life is key to success. Whether you seek to build a rock-solid foundation with your spouse, children, family, or friends, having and maintaining healthy, happy relationships will bolster your quality of life and give you renewed meaning. 3. Financial Security: Financial security is one of those factors of success that is often pointed to as the only factor, but that’s not true. No matter how much money you make, success cannot be defined in dollars, after all, what value does money have if you have no one to share it with? Financial security comes when you have enough to provide for your home and family, while also being able to comfortably save for extras, such as vacations and other high-ticket items. The key understanding here is that financial security is just one part of happiness and success. There’s more to life than excessive wealth! 4. Career Excellency: Financial security and an impassioned career go hand-in-hand. Since you spend a significant portion of your life working, it’s important to embrace a career path that makes you feel smart, capable, and fulfilled. When you do this, you’ll add another facet to your success story. 5. Quality Time: Life success comes in the form of time as well. We all desire more time to enjoy the finer things in life. Do you spend most of your time at work? Most do, however, do you have enough time with your family and loved ones? A life with time well spent and no regrets is an important aspect of your success. 6. Stress Levels: Are you constantly stressed out about your work, money, or relationships? Learning how to manage stress is an integral part of your health and life success. After all, stress may lead to chronic illnesses that may shorten your quality of life. We’ll wait for Your Contact!  Contributed by Tierell Goodman , CEO of T.S. & F. Consultant and Management L.L.C., an organization dedicated to assisting veterans with increasing their VA disability rating by helping them with the filing and preparation of the VA claims process.