Thus, you become the average of the company you keep.
That is why I am passionately committed to changing the dynamics of learned behavior (especially with the GFC). There is no weakness that can’t be re-purposed into a strength. This is a mindset. In boxing, they refer to this as the “Winner Mentality”.
In order to become the Man I wanted to be, it became necessary to conquer fear (aka myself):
A good way to accomplish this: build a computer, fix a car, cook a fancy meal, build a house, read a book (then attempt to write one), go bungee jumping, then sky dive, compete in dangerous competitive tournaments, travel the earth to visit both the poor and the “civilized”, climb 'insurmountable' mountains, quit a big boy job and start your own company.
While some of these may not be your goal, I’m sure they illustrate the point of seeking actions that challenge and lead to growth. Failure is temporary, as long as you learn from your mistakes and seek to improve upon them.
As humans we are entitled to making some mistakes, but if we continue to fail and accept these failures as normal, then we will continue to suffer the fate of the “loser mentality”.