Business Failure


by Carol Lynn Blood - Date: 2006-12-10 - Word Count: 486 Share This!

When my children were younger, one of their favorite books that we liked to read aloud during story time was James Stevenson's "Could Be Worse!" In the book, whenever the grandchildren complain of common problems such as a lost kite, flat tire or a splinter, Grandpa responds each time with the seemingly boring, "Could be worse."

What was special about this character is that his behavior mirrors that of any successful businessperson. There is no problem that is of any consequence if you do not view it as permanent. Everyone has setbacks. What sets you apart from those less successful is when you choose to identify and deal with your failures.

An important factor to take into consideration is that you should never be too hard on yourself. You have heard me say it before, there are enough people lined up in your life to do that for you. Do not be your own worst enemy! You cannot learn your lessons if you are wasting your energy beating yourself up.

Failure is a life lesson. It is an opportunity to learn. When someone starts a business and fails that does not make that person a failure. It makes them experienced entrepreneurs. These individuals have learned about business plans, strategic planning, implementation and more. The trick is to take these skills and incorporate them with the lessons learned from the business collapse and improve their future ventures.

We have all heard the expression, "it isn't whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game." That is actually pretty strong advice. Even when you are losing a game, you should be analyzing why you are losing. It is a temporary setback that has a powerful message from which to learn.

Flexibility is the key to change. You already identify the things that you have done wrong. It is time to change your behavior. Push the ego aside and realize that this is important for the growth of your business. When you find yourself in similar environments, remember to remind yourself how you got into these problems in the past. Avoid the same behavior so you can prevent repeating these issues over and over again. Ask the important questions: Did you try to do too many things at once, which prevented you from giving 100% when you had problems in the past? Were you not totally informed on your competition, which disallowed a strong competitive advantage when you gave your presentation? What behavior or bad habits will you need to avoid to insure success in the future?

Finally, give yourself permission to move on. You shouldn't dwell on your failures or your successes. You should greet each day with the passion it deserves. Never forget that each day is a new day, with new challenges, and new opportunities to grow your personal success.

Remember the words of the Irish Civil Rights Leader Bernadette Develin. "Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win."


Related Tags: marketing, business, networking, public, relations, failure, nebraska, carol, blood, urpr, bellevue, omaha

Carol Blood is President of U R P R. Her 20+ years of business experience. U R P R's programming is based on over twenty years experience of working with small businesses and area professionals. It was noted, through these relationships, that many people were struggling to find ways to take their businesses or careers to the next level of success. To read more articles, visit http://www.urpr.biz and sign up for the FREE bi-monthly newsletter.

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