Moving through failure into success

Life is a journey. As in any journey, there are up hills and down hills. There are smooth roads and rugged roads. There are times when the going is easy, and times when you don’t think you can take another step.

I have often faced failure in the face, like a bear blocking my path. At those times, I have three choices. I can give up the journey, turn and run. I can just plain give up and let my self be eaten. Or, I can fight my way through.

Perhaps the bear is not the best metaphor. Imagine yourself mired in a swamp of failure. Nothing you do seems to get you anywhere. You fight and struggle, but all your effort only seems to move you a few inches. Sure, you may think, you will exhaust yourself and die before you find your way to solid ground. But swamps are a funny thing. You never really know how far away solid ground is. It may be inches. It may be yards. Do you just give up and die, or do you plod ahead, knowing that solid ground is sure to come.

Here are some principles I have found helpful when stuck in the mud.

1. Realize that the swamp is a natural part of the journey. Every road to success has its share of them. From time to time you are going to come face to face with failure. The key to success is not to give up and stop in the swamp. You really don’t want to spend the rest of your life there. Keep plodding. Don’t quit. No matter how slowly you are moving towards your goal, you are still getting there.

2. Always remember why you are on the journey in the first place. In my younger days, I used to do some mountain climbing. There were plenty of times on the way that my feet were aching. I had blisters. I was exhausted. But I continued on because I wanted to see the view from the top. In most of life’s journeys, there is a lot more important “Why” than seeing a view. Are you pursuing success to provide for your family? Give your children the best possible education? Secure your future? When you find yourself struggling through failure, remember why success is so important. It will give you strength to keep going.

3. Always remember where you are going. It is important to have clearly defined goals and to keep them always in front of you. Use visualization and affirmations to keep your goal always in front of you. Be careful to accurately represent your goal. If your goal is financial security for your future, don’t fill up a vision board with fancy cars, houses and trips. When you are surrounded by failure, a fancy car is probably not going to provide you with sufficient motivation to keep going.

4. Look for an easier path. Don’t confuse your goal with your current path. Your goal may be financial security. Your path may be your current job. Your goal is not the same as your path. Sometimes, as you struggle on your current path, it is time to move to a slightly different path that will take you to your goal much more easily. Large corporations are notorious for mistaking their current path as the only path to their goal. That is usually because the path was successful in the past. That doesn’t mean it will always be successful. Is there another path that will move you towards your goal more easily? Can you add a new product line? Change your advertising? Find ways to become more attentive to your customers? Change companies? Go into business for yourself? Simple changes can sometimes jump start your path to success without changing your ultimate goal.

5. Never ever, ever give up. No one fails until they give up. Sometimes it seems you are moving backwards. If you leave your current job and start your own company, you may live off your savings for awhile. It may seem you are not moving towards your goal at all. But the truth is that you are not spending your savings. You are investing in a future enterprise that promises large returns. I have started several companies and I can assure you that nothing makes you feel like you are mired in failure than trying to get a new company off the ground. But once it takes off, you will not only realize your financial goal, but will enjoy a thrill of accomplishment like no other.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants

Team Quality

A chain is no stronger than its weakest link. A wall is no stronger than its gate.
When building your team, pay close attention to quality. If there is a weak member in your team, find a way to strengthen them.
You are probably a member of several teams. You are a member of a family team. You have a personal team of friends and people you spend time with. You may have a spiritual team. If you are in business, you have a business team of associates, support personnel and clients.
You obviously cannot replace members of your family team, so you should devote some time, preferably every day, to strengthening the other members of your family team. You can do this by giving them the careful attention they need and deserve, and by finding ways to help them fulfill their own lives. This will strengthen them so they can better support you.
The same applies to personal and business relationships. Choose friends and associates that support your vision and goals. Find ways to strengthen them and your relationship with them. Then you, with the support of your team, will only find victory.
"True leaders are not those who strive to be first but those who are first to strive and who give their all for the success of the team. True leaders are the first to see the need, envision the plan, and empower the team for action. By the strength of the leader's commitment, the power of the team is unleashed." - Unknown
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants