When I was in college I had to take a course in Geology. It was a very hard class for me and I could only achieve "C's" on all reports and tests. I blamed the professor and the textbooks for the lack of my "A". Then, I met Tom who was struggling and getting a "D" in our speech class. He asked me for help. With arrogance, I agreed. I couldn't understand why he worked days writing a five-minute speech. I had never prepared, never wrote the speeches, did everything impromptu and earned "A's".

I then realized that Tom had the same experience in Geology that I had with Speech. We teamed up, worked together, and by helping each other we both pulled off "B's" in our "problem" subjects. Tom and I were more successful helping each other out than we were on our own.

In my business life, I have again had to learn and accept the fact that I cannot always get an "A" in some areas. I've focused so hard at times trying to get MY "A" in every assignment to the point that I lost sight of what really matters. I've learned that what really matters is that the whole team wins and gets an "A". A great basketball coach recently said, "its amazing how much gets done when nobody takes the credit".

Sometimes you have to go back and re-read the chapters in your life. Maybe it isn't so scary now, or perhaps your perspective has changed; a former perceived failure might not be so now. Our lives are not just one short story, but rather many.

Edward Huser achieved a bachelor degree in Business Administration and has extensive experience in product strategy & management in the design, development and implementation of software for Client Server, Mid-frame and Web based products. His expertise also extends in the arenas of receivables management, customer relationship management, teaching and corporate team building.