failure [feyl-yer] — an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success.
The sooner you understand entrepreneurship and the power of failure, the sooner you will overcome it. Isn’t it funny how no matter what social media platform you’re scrolling through, it seems like all of your friends, family, and acquaintances are living their perfect dream lives? Everyone’s posting pictures of their cute babies, delicious meals at fancy restaurants, luxurious vacations, and exotic cars. You probably ask yourself:
“How can everyone else have their shit together, and I’m still struggling?!”
Obviously, the truth is: They don’t…
Social Media Fantasies Hide Failures
The fact is that social media gives people a place to brag about the things that are going well in their lives. We’re all guilty of it. We get satisfaction from our friends clicking that little thumbs up button so we only post the things that make us look amazing. If you’re struggling, if you’re still trying to catch that break, guess what… you’re not alone.
Entrepreneurship and The Power of Failure
I’ve been working on this week’s post for awhile, because this one means a lot to me. As a business owner, especially over the past couple years, I’ve dealt with my share of failure and struggle. I probably hide it well, because I’m also guilty of posting only the best parts of my life; like my children, my wife, my motorcycle, and my home, but the truth is owning a small business is often a roller coaster of emotion and heartache.
In this article (and podcast to follow) I’m going to share some of my own person failures and some inspirations from some of the people that help me stay motivated. I’m putting myself out there hoping that my story might inspire you to keep pushing, keep hustling, keep grinding.
Happiness is a Mindset, not a Destination
My intention with this article is to help you look at things a little differently and hopefully make a change. The fact is, the truth hurts, but if you’re unhappy with your life or your situation you need to take a step back and take a long look in the mirror because there’s only one person that can change it, that’s you. Nothing is easy and the struggle is real. Get over it. Something you need to understand though, chances are if you’re unhappy with your life right now, money, success, and fame won’t change your situation. Happiness is not a magical destination that you’ll arrive at after a certain period of time of discomfort. You need to learn to love the journey and be grateful for the positive aspects of your life. Life is more than just money, houses and cars. Discomfort is part of life, it will change, but never really go away. You will always desire more, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but in order to be happy, you need to have appreciation for your accomplishments, your friends, and your family.
Prepare For The Unexpected, Learn From Failure
In my business, one of the mistakes that I made was not planning for the unexpected and by allowing the revenue from one client to be too large of a portion of our monthly revenue. In 2016, our largest client suffered a heart attack and passed away unexpectedly. Eventually our client’s widow ended up selling off the business and moving on, which left us scrambling to cover expenses because of the missing revenue. You never know what could happen tomorrow. This client was in his 40’s and in perfectly good health.
Our failure to properly prepare for the unexpected forced us to have to take a step back, reduce our staff, regroup and take a hard look at the business and how to move forward.
This was a hard time for me, but it’s only really failure when you quit. I’ll never quit. The fact that you’re still alive means you still have a chance to succeed. Being a business owner isn’t always easy and the climb to success is seldom a straight line. Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster of ups, downs and terrifying moments. Those that understand that every punch in the mouth is nothing more than an opportunity, will be the ones that make it.
You’re capable of more than you could ever imagine, just do it.
Moving forward you need to be honest with yourself. If what you’re doing isn’t working, there’s a very good chance that the person responsible for that is you. There are two things to understand here. First, just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you’re being productive. Stop lying to yourself!
The second thing that you need to understand is that you are capable of more than you could ever imagine. The human body is capable of more than what 90% of the people on this earth are willing to push it to achieve.
In order to be a successful entrepreneur you have to be on top of your game. All. The. Time. The only way to be on top of your game is to make your body and your mind a priority.
Another one of my failures has been maintaining my health over the years. For years I convinced myself that I was too busy to eat healthy and to exercise. I put my health second to pretty much everything else. Not to mention, it’s not a secret that I like to eat… but anyway… What people fail to understand that until you get your health under control, it’s really difficult to control your life.
The fact is, when you’re eating healthy and exercising, it doesn’t just affect your body, it sharpens your mind. Since May of 2018, I’ve been on the Keto Diet and I’ve lost about 60 pounds. Aside from the weight loss, by eating a cleaner diet, I have more energy, I’m more focused, and I’m making better decisions. If you’re dragging at 2pm, it’s not because you need caffeine, it’s likely because you ate garbage for lunch.
Once you treat your body like a temple, your body will repay you by performing. Stop trying to convince yourself that you don’t have time or you’re not able to do it. There’s nothing you can’t accomplish if you put your mind to it.
Even when you think you can’t stop from failing, you’re only a millimeter away
Now that you’ve watched videos and read that the journey to success is never ending and that if you’ve just been punched in the mouth, good. There’s good news. When I was in college a close friend of mine sent me the video below as I prepared for a job interview.
The video is a small piece of a speaking engagement by Anthony Robbins. It’s a short video that has had such an impact on my life that I’ve tried to share it with as many people as I can.
No matter how bad your situation is right now, you need to understand that you’re only one millimeter away from making it. Your next adjustment may not get you there, in fact it might take you even further away. Never give up. Keep pushing, keep fighting, keep grinding. Get up every day, treat your body like a temple, and don’t just work hard, work smart.
You don’t fail, unless you quit. Never Quit.
