Sep 10, 2015 Written by Guest
No regrets. It's not just what I say, it's what most people would say, even you, had you not been so afraid to take the risk.
I often have people tell me about the things they would or could do, but don't. They even ask for advice about following their dreams, but move no further than the idea stage. The reason, most often, is fear of failure.
Fear and insecurities are the single biggest threat to you becoming successful. It ties you up not just for hours, but perhaps years or a lifetime.
I often have people tell me about the things they would or could do, but don't. They even ask for advice about following their dreams, but move no further than the idea stage. The reason, most often, is fear of failure.
Fear and insecurities are the single biggest threat to you becoming successful. It ties you up not just for hours, but perhaps years or a lifetime.
In January of this year I began operating Marketing Eye Dallas. I've been in marketing, in some capacity, since my high school internship. Professionally for 20 years. I've dreamed of having my own agency since college when I worked part-time at my professors marketing firm. Timing seemed right, I had successfully ran a strong education business that I was in the process of selling to a new owner.
The opening of a new business and the hand-off of another were to occur within weeks of each other. When the sale began getting pushed back, I was told it was only the holidays, don't worry. After several weeks, the deal did not go through and I had two business and an overwhelming commitment.
It is not surprising that both businesses suffered as did my personal life. I had a lot to people to answer to as to why my sales were not higher and why I was not delivering on my promises. I know those around me were disappointed, because I was in myself.
Here I am months later with a few terrific marketing clients and an education business that is weeks away from closing. There are no guarantees, and I could find myself back where I was months ago.
So looking, back maybe I was too quick to chase my dreams of owning a marketing firm and should have cooled my jets until the money was in my hand, not just promises and intents. However, I love Marketing Eye, I love my clients, and I will never regret acting on my intentions.
Here are a few things I have learned, that have helped me...
Failure is not bad
Failure is something you can learn from. I love what Mary Tyler Moore said about failure,
" Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave."
No one likes failure. It hurts your ego, often time your bank account, sometimes your family. Failure is not the end of the road, but an obstacle to overcome and to learn from.
Don't play the blame game
Avoid blaming others for your failure. Understand that failure is a combination of things of which you played a role. Review the situation and know what your role was in the failure. Don't let this single event define you, but use it as a place to grow from.
Get back on the bike
So, your ego is bruised - well, it will heal. The best thing you can do when you fail is reflect, then get back on the bike and try again. Take those lessons and use them to fuel your success in the future.
Being an entrepreneur or climbing the corporate ladder are not easy. No one achieves great success without a few bumps in the road and battle scars. The most important thing any person can do is to embrace failure and not be afraid of the journey leading up to being successful.
Dare to change it up, create something new, innovate and stay relevant. You never know what is around the corner.
It's frustrating to hear people say that they could have done something, but never did. Or that they dreamed of owning a business, but were too afraid to take the risk. Failure is something that we all should embrace as it is singularly the best school for learning how things should be done.
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