I’ve been reading a few articles lately about how easy it is to fail as an entrepreneur or start-up and that 80 to 90% of businesses don’t make it within the first year. While statistically, that may be true, how’s that for a dose of discouragement for anyone who’s thinking of striking out on their own?

The fear of failure is often what stops people from putting themselves out there and from trying in the first place. One dictionary definition calls failure out to be “an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success.”

I’d like to challenge this view and stop failure where it starts – in the mind. Instead of looking at it as a lack of success, what if failure was seen as a temporary setback of which there is a lesson to be learned, an opportunity to switch gears, change your plan and try something new? Can you imagine if Henry Ford gave up at his first setback? Reportedly, he ‘failed’ hundreds of times before he founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903.

If you have the desire to start a business or make a difference in the world and you have a plan, you’re halfway there. It is crucial that you believe in yourself and has confidence in your ability to make it happen.

Challenge your beliefs

Next time you experience a setback, ask yourself what is the lesson to be learned. How can I approach this challenge in a new way? The world around us has a delightful way to teach us what we need to learn at any given moment if we’re open to receiving the wisdom that it provides.

After all, the real failure is when you give up in your own mind before you even start.