Failure to Succeed

What’s the worst, most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?

Oops, guess I should’ve placed a trigger warning here. So here we go: today, we’re going to drudge up the worst, most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done. And we’re going to analyze it.

So, think about it. Think about that time you did an incredibly embarrassing thing. What was the outcome? 

If you reacted at all like I did, you probably wanted to die. But here’s the question: did you actually die? 

Did you actually DIE? 

The answer is obviously no. But that doesn’t change the fact that even now, sitting where we’re sitting, reading from the screen we worked so hard to be able to afford, we think about that moment and want to curl up in a ball and possibly figuratively die.

Today, I want to discuss failure, and fear of that very same failure. 

I believe that as humans, our fear of failure is natural and inherent. I believe that our fight or flight instinct kicks in the moment we see things going downhill. We fear “failing” because biologically, we fear that absolute feeling of panic and desertion, and we fear that feeling of impending doom. Or death.

But do we actually die, 99% of the time that we fail? Nosireebob.

And therein lies the point of today’s blog. I don’t necessarily have answers or applicable “next steps” for you to take, but I do have questions to help you think. Hopefully, those questions will lead you to overcoming your fear of failure, and going after the things you’re most passionate about. 

Because really, what’s the worst that could happen?

that brings me to question 1: what’s the worst that could happen?

What’s actually the worst thing that could happen to you, as a business owner? 

Automatically, when I think of the word “failure” in my business, I think of closing things down, going destitute and broke, and potentially living in a box on the side of the road. 

Is that rational? No, but that’s where my mind goes. What about yours?

Let’s just say, rationally speaking, that the absolute worst thing that could happen to you would be to close down your business, all because of a decision you made that ended up failing. Who’s to say that it’s not for the best?

Not to get all woo-woo on you, but I believe that all things happen for good. Anytime I’ve faced failure, hurt, or felt like I’d lost everything that mattered, something was right around the corner, waiting for me to grab hold of it. 

It’s almost as if sometimes, failure is the thing we need to encounter to force ourselves to take that next big, scary step. With that mindset, I’ve learned to embrace the ideal of failure, “failure,” and what might happen next.

so then if the worst case happens, what happens next?

Sometimes, we think of what happens after failure as the boogeyman lying under our bed. We don’t want to look, we don’t want to actually see what’s going on under there. We just want to pretend that those scary sounds and shadows aren’t actually happening, because it’s safer that way.

Right?

Well, I’d like to encourage you to think a bit differently for your business. Ask yourself, “if this fails, what happens next?”

You might have that answer, and you might not. Maybe you have a plan for every plan, and a plan for every failure. But maybe you don’t have it all figured out yet - and that’s okay. Maybe your “what happens next” answer is somewhere along the lines of: well, I’ll sit down, evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and then create a better plan, reach more people, and market myself like crazy.

I’m not sure about you, but that sounds like a pretty good plan to me.

I firmly believe in the power of facing our fears head on, and in staring them in the eyes and saying, “even if you are the boogeyman, and even if you do come and get me, I’ll always find a way out.” 

As entrepreneurs, failure is almost completely unavoidable. It’s how we face those failures and overcome them to be better and stronger in retrospect, that defines us. Please pay close attention to this: your failure doesn’t define you as a business owner. How you overcome obstacles and failures? That’s what defines you. 

is it worth it? 

If we take a step back, we can evaluate things from a different angle. Obviously, we don’t want to throw all caution to the wind. 

Like, I’m not super cautious, but I am a little cautious.

In all seriousness, we do want to be successful, even when we accept and can even own our failures. So, a great question to ask? “Is it worth it?”

Is it?

Is the decision you want to make worth the idea and possibility of failure? Is the thing you want to create worth going after? 

The answer should always, unequivocally be yes. Not only will that give you the confidence boost you need to go after it fearlessly, but it’ll also allow you to own the fact that even if you did meet failure head on, it would’ve been worth it.

That’s all we really care about, right? Making sure that at the end of the day, the tears and trials we endure as business owners, actually make a difference and have a meaning?

So, my friend, I’ll leave you with this: you undoubtedly have an idea or dream rattling around in your mind, quietly waving its metaphorical hands and feet at you while you read this blog. Go after it. Stare failure in the face, and show it who’s boss.

(Hint: You’re the boss. Because you run your own business, remember?)

Is it the weekend yet?

Kirsten