Perception vs Reality: How You Deal With Failure Affects Your Online Business Success
Is failure an ingredient for success? Our initial response might be no way, but there is a big difference between perception and reality.
When we think about what it takes to be successful, things like dedication, purpose, passion, and action come to mind. Rarely does anyone think of failure as being a key component of success. The reality however is that all successful people have failed'several times. In fact, we've all failed somewhere along the way.
Society's perception, however, is that 'failure is not an option.' I think the primary reason society thinks this way is because of fear. People are not comfortable with taking risks. They want to know that everything will turn out perfect before they make commitments. But the reality is that everything you do involves risks. If you don't risk you don't live.
I'm reading the book Small is the New Big, by Seth Godin, which is a compilation of posts from Seth's blog. He has a very interesting perspective on what the basis of fear is. He thinks fear is really all about unconstructive criticism--being blamed when something goes wrong with no feedback on how to do things better.
Seth writes that 'fear of criticism is a powerful deterrent because the criticism doesn't actually have to occur for fear to set in.' All it takes is witnessing someone else getting criticized. As a result we become too scared to take a risk or go the extra mile because we know someone is waiting to point out what we did wrong'even when things turn out right.
Criticism is born out of a lack of vision foresight and 20/20 vision hindsight. That ought to give us some clue on how much we should let criticism affect us. Have you considered that unconstructive critics are actually envious of what you're doing or have done? Have you considered that they're too scared to take the risks you're taking? Why let someone who won't walk the talk stop you in your tracks?
Rethink criticism. According to Seth, if you do something that begs for criticism, then you are doing something worth doing. Welcome the opportunity to do something that will draw criticism's attention. Ask yourself what significant losses you will suffer as a result of criticism. If the only loss is that your feelings get hurt, then think about and focus on the benefits you'll gain. It's okay to feel bad, you're human, but don't let hurt feelings keep you from moving forward.
Okay, I went off on a tangent. Let's get back on to our discussion on failure and its role in success.
The truth is that failure brought successful people closer to their success. How they dealt with failure was critical. They didn't see failure as the end and quit. Instead they saw failure as an opportunity and they let the failure inspire them to do better, find another way, and move forward. They believed in themselves and in what they were doing, and they let failure hone and sharpen their character, making them a stronger and better person. Failure became a stepping stone towards their ultimate goal. They stepped out of their comfort zone because they were inspired and compelled to keep moving forward.
Playing it safe won't get you anywhere. When you make a commitment to something, adversity is guaranteed to come your way--Murphy's Law comes to visit. Accept this truth and be okay with. Playing it safe will only leave you with regret which is true failure. So take the risk. Be ready to face adversity and deal with it. Be willing to fail if that is the end result. Then take the failure, learn from it, and move on. Don't become a victim of failure. Don't dwell on it and let it stop you. Embrace it and use it to take you closer to inevitable success. I leave you with this quote from Rolanda Watts. Keep it in mind when facing potential failure: 'Life should be gulped and not sipped.'
Happy Business Building,
Yoli
About the Author:
Yolanda Allen is a retired Air Force officer and online business owner. Find out how Yolanda's business partner, Jay Kubassek, eliminated traditional off-line business building techniques (like cold calling and buying leads) by creating an already proven online marketing system. Go to http://YBAMarketing.com/?t=abfs and opt-in to learn how you can become a master internet marketer.