Failure and adversity have introduced many men to opportunities which they would not have recognized under more favorable circumstances.
A man’s mental attitude in respect to defeat is the factor of major importance in determining whether he rides with the tides of fortune on the success side of the River of Life or is swept to the failure side by circumstances of misfortune.
The circumstances which separate failure from success often are so slight that their real cause is overlooked. Often they exist entirely in the mental attitude with which one meets temporary defeat. The man with a positive mental attitude reacts to defeat in a spirit of determination not to accept it. The man with a negative mental attitude reacts to defeat in a spirit of hopeless acceptance.
The man who maintains a positive mental attitude may have anything in life upon which he may set his heart, so long as it does not conflict with the laws of God and the rights of his fellowmen. He probably will experience many defeats, but he will not surrender to defeat. He will convert it into a stepping stone from which he will rise to higher and higher areas of achievement.
The subject of a positive mental attitude is so important that it not only claimed first position in the list of the twelve riches of life, but it had to be included as an important part of the principle on pleasing personality, and has been mentioned in practically every principle of this course. A positive mental attitude is an essential part of the key which unlocks the door to the solution of all personal problems. It is the magic quality of this key which enables it to attract success as surely as an electro-magnet attracts iron filings.
The whole secret of the formula by which you may turn defeat into an asset lies in your ability to maintain a positive mental attitude despite your defeat.
Source: PMA Science of Success.