Take stock. Ask yourself honestly why you failed. Consider whether you had the wrong product or solution or whether you used the wrong strategy or approach. Reflect on why you lost and why someone else won. Did you work hard enough? Did you work smart enough? An honest, unflinching assessment of why you lost is the first step to winning the next time.
Improve your attitude. Examine your attitude and thought processes for beliefs and thinking that might be holding you back. Realize that a poor mental attitude is highly unlikely to lead to great results. Focus on being bright, attentive, receptive and positive.
Reorient your offering, taking account of new information. Note that motivational coach Robert Vander Roest believes the ability to learn is essential for a winner. Learn from your mistakes so you can go forward in the right direction. Learn also from the success of others. Use the winners as models for your attitude and behaviors.
Forecast the future as best you can, using available information, personal intuition and other tools to help you, such as computer models. Knowing what is around the corner is a key way to avoid failure in the future, according to business analyst Peter Navarro. Try as much as possible to predict obstacles, and imagine how you will overcome them when they arise.
Work hard. Pursue your dream with courage, vision and faith, advises self made billionaire Jon M. Huntsman, rather than by the lying, cheating and improper behavior of some who yearn to achieve the American Dream. Success is a choice, as renowned basketball coach Rick Pitino wrote. You can choose to do the hard work necessary to win. Vow to work harder than your competition every day.