The push, they fight, they grit their teeth, they gasp, and then …they push some more.
Sure, this guy or gal might be overweight on that particular day, but somehow, you just know that it won’t be like this for much longer. And you’ve been there, watching this glorious transformation taking place. They’re those select few clients of yours that simply refuse to back down.
They push their bodies like everybody else, yes; but the most inspiring characteristic about them is that you’re witnessing a person slam through their own human fears of inadequacy. They’re the ones that get you out of bed at 5:00AM and head to the gym -because their drive is so powerful that it’s actually adding fuel to yours.
So, what is it that causes this client to push farther, faster, and harder than most others? I know what it is, because I’ve met enough people in my lifetime to finally get it: they’ve just plain had ENOUGH -and absolutely nothing is going to stop them from achieving the body they now know that they deserve.
In the past, they’ve failed in this area to the point where they no longer fear the brick wall of inadequacy that’s stopped them so many times before.
To Feel the Burn
Thus, they no longer fear the burn of the workout. They’ve realized that the pain won’t kill them, but time eventually will -and they’ve just had it with wasting time.
Somehow, you already know that this client has achieved their end fitness goal, even though he or she might be a good 50 pounds short of it. You know this, because you’ve seen that look before. You know this, because a person will show you their true heart in those last 3 reps. They’ve dealt with failure, time and time again, and now it’s just a matter of time before they succeed.
But how many times have we heard of businesses failing, especially these days? Taxes, red tape, regulations, inflation, unemployment, have had many an entrepreneur running for the hills. Can you blame them?
Yes. Here’s why.
Learn to Power Through the Fearing Failure
It’s a natural part of the human condition to fear failure, because it’s a lesson that’s humiliating and financially difficult to live with. However, I believe that in order to experience success, then we’ve got to bust through our brick wall of fear and finally see failure for what it is: the greatest teacher in achieving business success.
It’s always the fear, and all the negativity that goes with it, which completely incapacitates us from powering through the challenges that we could otherwise handle, according to a post by Lindsay Holloway of Entrepreneur. So, if the problem is the negativity of fear, then it makes sense that the solution should be found in that silver lining …the one that we forget about all too often:
“She advises keeping tabs on yourself by regularly writing a list of accomplishments. Whether you gained three new clients, received positive feedback or sealed a partnership, write it down.”
Looking back on what you have accomplished is a great way to learn that progress is a fear-breaker. But don’t forget to look back on your failures too. Why?
Because, when you remember the failures you’ve already endured, then you will remember the fact that you’re still here, still alive, and still driving onward. You stood to your feet and kept on going, inspite of the difficult task of getting back in the game.
You now know how tough you really are, because you experienced failure.
Learn to Learn from Failure
You’ve probably heard this statistic a few times already, but let’s review it one more time. Forbes posted an article, citing the fact that 8 out of 10 businesses fail within the first 18 months. Shouldn’t this fact be absolutely horrifying? Actually, not really.
Quite frankly, it’s a good thing that this happens -but you have to read between the lines in order to understand why.
The Forbes article also listed several reasons, as to why the authoritative majority of businesses have a 1.5-year life expectancy. The list is a stellar one, but my point to citing this article is simple: it’s actually because so many businesses fail, that we can obtain knowledge on what exactly caused these failures. If that weren’t the case, then we wouldn’t be reading such advice from Forbes.
And that’s just merely what others have learned from the outside, looking in. Imagine how much you could learn, the depth of wisdom you could gain, if your business were one of the 8 in 10. It’s easy to learn a thing or two from an article, but it’s an entirely different matter when you’ve felt the burn first-hand.
But again, fear will keep you from learning anything of importance -so you’ve got to have an open mind when experiencing failure. That’s why a lesson from a failed business is such a terrible thing to waste.
Learn to Take Pride in Your Failure
One of my all-time favorite examples of great entrepreneurial failure-turned-billionaires is Richard Branson.
This guy failed, and failed again …and again… and again (not to mention, spent time in prison). He started companies and then watched them crash and burn. And he was even disadvantaged from the start, according to a post from Hongkiat.com:
“But if you were to meet him in his teens, you wouldn’t really bet on his later success. Branson had poor reading and math skills, dropped out of high-school and is proud to admit he’s dyslexic all his life. Not really your first choice for a billionaire philanthropist knight and worldwide media icon.”
But time eventually would tell the tale, that from his efforts would come a household brand: Virgin. At this point, the man is worth roughly $4.6 BILLION and has been quoted, saying,
‘Learn from failure. If you are an entrepreneur and your first venture wasn’t a success, welcome to the club!’
It’s tough club to get into, but it’s one that produces far more successful entrepreneurs than the ‘bed of roses’-club across the street (even though everyone who enters is guaranteed a well-padded seat at the bar).
Learn to Let Failure Fuel Our Drive to Succeed
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Eventually, you’re going to get to the point, at which your failures will drive you, more so than your successes. However, the driver is not always the point at which critical-mass of mistakes is reached. No, that point is usually where the best lessons come from.
The big driver is in the act of brushing off the dirt and rising to your feet once more. Once you get uncommonly good at doing this, you’ll start to sound like a billionaire: like the one who founded PayPal and is manufacturing battery-powered sports cars. This guy doesn’t seek praise, because doing so is far too easy for the payout of a fleeting reward. Instead, he regularly seeks after a good old fashioned ego-whipping from his peers:
“You want to be extra rigorous about making the best possible thing you can. Find everything that’s wrong with it and fix it. Seek negative feedback, particularly from friends.” -Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors
Folks, if your first, (second, or third) business was an epic failure, then congratulations -it looks like you’re well on your way to becoming one of the proud, great entrepreneurs out there. You’ve already become a success, even though you might be a good 50 weeks from seeing your first client lose their first 50 pounds.
If you realize that there’s just no time to waste on fearing failure …then your massive success is already in the bank, and seeing that come to fruition is just a matter of time.
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