​While nearly everyone has an opinion on what it takes to achieve success, there are very few proven formulas. Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM offers us this one: “Would you like me to give you a formula for success?  It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You’re thinking failure is the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all…you can be discouraged by failure—or you can learn from it. So, go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because that’s where you’ll find success. On the far side.” British poet, John Keats, reinforces this formula by saying: “Failure is in a sense the highway to success, as each discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true.” In other words, if you want to succeed, you must be willing to risk failure and learn from your mistakes. On the other hand, if your primary motivation is to avoid failure, you have very little chance of achieving success.