In my book "How to train your business brain" I focus on the importance is failure. In a new year we often look to kick start a resolution or goal and expect a lot of ourselves, but this often leads to tricky mind-sets as we start to lose focus and then give ourselves a hard time. But failure is a lesson we should all respect and use to our advantage. After-all, if you don't try you'll never know. It's better to have lived and given it a go than to have never tried at all and live a life of regret!
It’s a way of life and business. As humans, I think “learning from our mistakes” is almost a natural instinct. It’s certainly a core value that parents drill into their children from an early age and when we don’t learn from our mistakes, we often pay a high price. There are plenty of proverbs and sayings that reflect this, such as, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
Here are some wonderful examples of winners who turned adversity into an advantage.
J. K. Rowling: As a destitute, depressed and single mum she wrote Happy Potter whilst on benefits in a local coffee shop, just to keep her sanity and focus. 12 publishers rejected her idea adding to the pressure but her self-belief and a bag full of grit and determination she is now worth around 1 billion dollars.
Charlie Chaplin: This silent movie icon was originally rejected by Hollywood studio producers as they believed his act to be too ridiculous for mainstream viewing. With drive and determination thankfully he persisted with his unwavering belief in his own act and the rest is screen history.
Dr. Seuss: The wacky author of brilliant books such as The Grinch and The Cat in the Hat Dr Seuss was actually originally rejected by 27 different publishers before his first book To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was first published.
Ellie Simmonds: Paralympian Swimmer. Ellie was born with dwarfism and was one of Britain’s most successful swimmers in Beijing where, aged just 13, she brought home two gold medals in the 100m Freestyle and the 400m Freestyle, making her the youngest ever Briton to win an individual gold medal at a Paralympic Games. Don’t let any physical or mental limitations hold you back. She lives her dream.
If you want to learn more about the power of failure - just get in touch and I'll be happy to give you more insight.
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