The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.
It is inevitable that some defeat will enter even the most victorious life. The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated... it is finished when it surrenders.
Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows.
Jump into the middle of things, get your hands dirty, fall flat on your face, and then reach for the stars.