We’ve all been through rough patches with our businesses. Attitude has more to do with longevity than you might think. Winners acknowledge mistakes they might have made or the nature of the current situation, but they don’t dwell on these things. Instead, they push forward to see what is in front of them. Losers constantly find themselves looking backwards, wondering what went wrong and what they could have done to prevent the current negative situation—a tactic that is ineffective if you want to grow.

If you look ahead and keep your eyes (and your hand, firmly pressed) on the door that’s opening, the closed door won’t feel so painful. Even if the door you walked out of—or were, perhaps, escorted out of—was something you loved, it doesn’t mean that all is lost.

With the right attitude and a willingness to take stock of what you’ve learned from past experiences, you will find that opportunities abound. It’s never luck that helps you open the next door, but rather action on your part to seize available opportunities. You can see these opportunities only if you’re looking forward and marching ahead.

This article was written by Beth Goldstein and published in Bloomberg Businessweek magazine.