There are times in our lives when we experience setbacks. It is during these times that we determine whether we are a success or a failure. Do we get up and try again, or do we give up? What will other people think of us? Can we ever be successful again? If we learn from our mistakes and persevere, we can truly make the most of our second chances in life.

In the late 1870’s, Thomas Edison began attempting to invent the light bulb. After over 10,000 attempts with no success, people wrote off the idea as a failure. Scientists and reporters of his day considered his idea impractical at best. People began wondering how long Edison would work on this idea before giving up. When asked about his many failures, Edison famously replied, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” As you know, he went on to invent the light bulb and literally thousands of other things.

In order to turn a failure into a second chance, you must first visualize your success. If you know your goal and know that you will achieve it, it’s easy to try again. Children are masters of perseverance, but many adults lose track of the goal. As adults, we must remember back to when we were learning to ride a bike. We can do it if we keep trying.

The second thing you must do in order to succeed is ignore the critics. Whenever you fail, there will always be critics. Many out there will tell you that your dreams are impossible. They laughed at Donald Trump when several of his companies went bankrupt, but it didn’t faze him, and now he’s more successful than ever. It makes success that much sweeter when your critics have to eat their words.

The final ingredient of a second chance is fearless perseverance. Always try one more time. You’ve only really failed when you’ve given up. Re-assess your situation and see if you can figure out why you failed the last time. Get back up and boldly try again.

Following the examples of Edison, Trump, and countless others, it becomes clear that a comeback really is an art. When you can visualize your success, ignore the critics and give it everything you’ve got, you can achieve success.

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This post contributed by Joseph Love - a writer at Helium.com