Failures do what is tension relieving, while winners do what is goal achieving

Today's quote is from author Dennis Waitley and it can apply to just about any challenge you may face in your life.
"Failures do what is tension relieving, while winners do what is goal achieving."

The idea behind the quote is simple, but the message is very powerful.
Many of us, myself included, are non-confrontational and we try to avoid tense situations and trouble. Whether it is a disagreement with our spouses, a problem at work, a situation with a classmate, discussions with people we generally don't like, or any number of other possibilities, many people try to avoid these situations.
Instead of making a goal to fix the problem and work through the tension, we passively just go along with a situation or we make up an excuse to avoid it completely. This doesn't solve anything, though, and really just delays the tension for another time and likely makes it greater.
Similarly, many people may want to try to take on a new project, start a new business, learn a new skill or try any number of other challenges, but they may avoid it because they sense that there could be problems involved with the project. So instead of taking on something they really want to do, these people pretty much admit failure from the beginning just because they are worried of failing later on.
With all of these situations and with whatever challenges you may face in your life, it's much better to try to solve the problem, set a goal you want to reach with your project or set a goal to rectify a disagreement between you and another person.
Now I'm not saying that you should go try to win every argument with your significant other, try to single-handedly win every sports game you are in, or go out and pick arguments with your political rivals. Certainly there are times in life when it is best to just let things go.
But if something is really bothering you, if you are having trouble with someone important to you, or if there is a project you want to work on, I encourage you to stop worrying about what might go wrong and instead start making plans for how to make things right.
It's like in basketball, if you shoot the ball hoping not to miss the shot, you are probably going to miss. But if you shoot with the goal of making the shot, you're going to do much better.
Don't be someone who just avoids taking shots and avoids tough situations. You'll be much happier when you start taking on any obstacles you face and you begin reaching toward your goals.