The key to success is handling failure. Handling failure does not come naturally. It is an acquired skill. Some of your emotions tell you to sulk and avoid any situations that are likely to put you in line to feel the pain of rejection again. Other emotions tell you to get more out of life for yourself and your loved ones. Concentrate on what you have to gain, and learn how to change your attitude toward rejection.

Here are five mottos that have helped me. Put them to use in your daily life.

1. I never see failure as failure but only as a learning experience.

Every auction is a learning experience, every challenge you have is a learning experience. Learn from your failure. Edison, who conducted over 2000 experiments before he produced a practical light bulb, was once asked, "How did you keep going after all those failures?" His reply, "I did not fail two thousand times; I learned two thousand ways that didn't work." Like Edison try to look at failure and rejection as a learning experience.

2. I never see failure as failure but only as the negative feedback I need to change course in my direction. I once watched a person try to unlock a door with the wrong key. No matter how many times he tried, the wrong key didn't work. Sometimes we all keep trying to make the wrong key work, use techniques that don't work in our auctioneer endeavors, keep putting that wrong solution to the problem long after we've tried and failed.

It takes some stick-to-it stamina to keep knocking on a hundred doors that will provide your next auction fee.

3. I never see failure as failure but only as the opportunity to develop my sense of humor. Have you ever had a traumatic experience involving an auction contract? A month later you finally tell someone about it and suddenly it is really funny. The longer you wait to laugh, the more that failure will hold you back. Make an effort to laugh about it and learn to tell a good story on yourself.

4. I never see failure as failure but only as the opportunity to practice my techniques and perfect my presentation. Every time you present your auction service to others and you don't get the auction, at least they've given you a chance to practice. Many auctioneers do not realize the importance of this. Practice makes perfect, so appreciate the opportunity to become better.

5. I never see failure as failure but only as a game I must play to win.

The auction business is a game. Life is a game. Both have their rules; luck plays a small part; but the winners play ball. Over the years, I've discovered there is one rule that dominates every situation; those who risk more failure by making more auction calls, make more money; those who risk less failure, make less.

If you risk failure sometimes you will fail. But, every time you fail, you're much closer to success. Success demands its percentage of failure. Here is a philosophy that I teach my students at Continental Auction School.

I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed, and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep trying.

Work with this creed and five attitudes toward rejection. What counts isn't how may auctions you lose, how many doors slam, how many things don't work out, how many people go back on their word. What does count is how you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep on trying to make it happen. There are challenges, obstacles and troubles in the auction business, but they are all temporary if you take control of your thoughts and develop the right attitude. I believe that winners are winners because they've learned to fuel their success drives by overcoming failure.

Success to you and have a bunch of great auctions.