All we ever want in life is to succeed to the extent we believe we can. But, there's always that one thing holding us back, failure. The fear that we won't meet ours, or others expectations.

I've always been quiet, never spoke up much and have always done just the requirements needed for any situation; doing this allowed me to avoid failure. As I've gotten older, I've realized doing just average isn't what life is about. You were put on this planet to strive to be the most successful version of yourself. With success, comes failure; this is something you will learn, and it will help you grow. Each failure is a lesson disguised to set you on the right path. Don't let it knock you down, think to yourself, "Okay, what can I do to do this right or better?"

Family, friends, teachers, and others will always have expectations for you. Do not let theirs overcome your own. You are your own person and this is your life, set your own goals, don't let your parents or anyone else set them for you. At the end of the day, do this for yourself. When you feel as though you've done everything you can, don't give up.

As you go through life, challenge yourself. Take that difficult position in that club at school, at work, in your sorority/fraternity, on a sports team, or anything you may be involved in. Do not be afraid to fail; instead, do everything in your power to succeed. Never settle. When you let yourself settle, it's basically giving up. If you can do better, than do it.

A key factor in succeeding is never being afraid to speak up, ask a question, or ask for help. If you feel yourself getting so overwhelmed, take a step back, breathe, and don't be afraid to let the people around you know you may need a little help. The people in your life are suppose to be your support system. Sometimes you can't do everything on your own.

You need to be confident in your own voice and decisions, and the only way you ever will is if you practice it. If you take on a challenge and it doesn't go how you'd hope, that doesn't mean you're doomed for failure for the rest of your life. You need to take that lesson and move on; never let it hold you back from achieving something you never thought you could.