The dictionary defines failure as an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success. Or as a nonperformance of something due required or expected. But if you ask anyone else that might not be the definition they give.

They would put in simpler terms: Not accomplishing something or falling short on something you planned on succeeding in. Most humans are petrified of failure, they fear if they fail they won't be successful or there life won't go how they planned it. But I'm here to tell you the truth about failure, and it's not always what the definitions above state it as.

I asked multiple people how they would define failure, and it seemed to pretty consistent. But this definition stood out to me: Failure is when you fall down and decide to stay there rather than pushing yourself into getting back up.

We have a choice to make when we fail or when something goes wrong. We can either dwell and let the sadness and anger consume us or we have the choice to let that failure teach you how to rise. You have to want to get back up and try again. To take it as a chance to learn from your mistakes and persevere. That is something only you can do, no one else can do it for you. You have to want to learn from.

There's a misconception with failure, that it's this terrible thing. But think about failure, think about the people who are held so high in society: celebrities, the President, our doctors, our teachers. If you think they all started out in college by saying "I'm going to be a singer or actress" or "I'm going to be the President," then maybe you don't understand it.

Sometimes our failures can lead us right to where we were supposed to be. Some of the greatest discoveries started with a failed plan. But we don't think about all the times it failed, we think about the time it was a success. Fear is part of being human but we shouldn't fear failure. We should fear about not being able to get up after failing. Failure is when you stop trying.

Here are some things to think about the next time you think you failed. Did you try your hardest? Did you get help? Did you use all your resources? Did you go in with a positive attitude? All of these can play a part in failing. But in the end, you can learn something great from it. You just have to allow it to.

Failure isn't the opposite of success it's part of success. Life doesn't always go exactly as we want or the plan we had for ourselves and that's okay. You decide what your future's going to be and you decide how you let failure influence you.

So the next time you fail, think of it as being a step closer to your goal.Not one step behind.