Let's talk about it now. Everyone fails, but no one wants to talk about it.
Why do you think that is? All you hear is:
I got the job.
I have a gazillion followers.
I own a successful seven-figure business.
But you never hear about their trials before their success.
In social media, all we see are friends and even people we don't know, have wins every day. We become immune to their highlight reel. Every day we are smashed over the head with everyone else's successes and it gets to a point where we become unfazed and just scroll on past.
Don't get me wrong, having successes in your life is necessary and helps propel you forward into the reality that you desire. Yet it's what we learn from our failures that gives us the best lesson. With those failures you became a stronger person. You make a new connection in your brain, you expanded your vision, you broaden your horizon.
People look at failures like poop. Everyone does it but no one talks about it.
When I hear about a failure, my gears start turning. To know that Beyonce, Elon Musk, Meryl Streep and many others have failed at one point or another in their life, makes me feel like they are human. It makes me feel like if they fail, I can too and be okay. All I have to do is pick my self up and get back on the road of life.
These influencers and people we look up to everyday have struggled with success at some point or another. Nothing works out 100 percent of the time so why put that pressure on yourself?
Talking and sharing about a struggle can have a greater impact for the next person than hearing about how much money you make or how big your house is.
What about overcoming debt so you could buy the house? Or walking into five interviews, and finally getting the last one which gives you the income bump to take your living to a new level.
Failures are just as important as successes and in most cases more important. It shows you are real. You are human.
Maybe the first business you tried didn't pan out -- mine didn't. You know what happened? It was a learning experience and one that I am thankful for.
We as humans have a tendency to try, fail and quit.
I've been there and done that. Sadly, I got into the habit of quitting before I fully failed. And I'd claim I was just switching careers. But you know what? I was scared to fail. It wasn't until just a few years ago that I took my first business venture, an online radio station -- which was a failure -- to heart and really tried to figure out why it didn't work.
What came up was consistency and dedication to the project. I had two other partners but none of us took ownership. There was no plan of action, we didn't want to own the marketing side of it. We did have ideas of where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do, but we were never able to market it correctly. None of us wanted to take ownership of that part. I remember sending out our media kit (that by the way I'm pretty proud of) but -- crickets! I was so embarrassed that I didn't get any response, so I rarely followed up. In the end we decided it was best to dissolve the business. Luckily, there was a lot to learn from it and I am stoked that I took that journey.
The reality is, failure breads success when you apply the lesson. As long as you stick to what you believe and aren't willing to back down, amazing things will happen. You must commit to yourself and be consistent.
Bill Gates dropped out of college and failed in his first business attempt.
Oprah was fired from her TV reporting job and labeled as unfit for TV.
Katy Perry was dropped from three labels.
Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
Kris Karr turned her cancer into a business of healing for others.
Carey Mulligan was rejected from every drama school she applied for.
Lady Gaga was dropped from her record label after three months.
Don't give up so easily. Learn to love your failures and get excited for the lesson to be learned.