When you realize that something in your life is not working, do you change course or do you continue to struggle with the problem? Dr. Robin says too often people spend too much time trying not to fail at something or trying to avoid failure. "Failure is a place where we learn—failure is something that teaches us if we are open to it," she says. "Most importantly, don't take forever to fail."

If you feel you are in the wrong major at college, recognize it and move on to another area of study. If your friends treat you badly, don't try to please them—in fact, the faster you end the toxic friendship, the better, Dr. Robin says. "Do it fast so that you can learn the lesson, seize the moment and go and live your very best life," she says.

Even though Dr. Robin says most of us have been taught that failure is bad, she says it is time to redefine what failure means. "The gift of failure, if you partner with it, is to let it teach you where you can build yourself up," she says.