If you are an entrepreneur, if you’re a visionary, if you’re a dreamer, a creative, a goal setter, an opportunist- I’m certain you’ve grappled with setbacks and obstacles on the path to success. As the age old adage goes,“Breakdowns often times lead to break throughs. ”
To those of you who have endured adversity- join the crowd. And by the way- it’s a very (distinguished) successful crowd. Successful people are NOT people who never fail. They’re people who know how to fail well. They have learned how to use failure to propel themselves up higher.
Full Disclaimer: For the last 2 years, I’ve been on a mission to align my personal and professional life. Many of the hardships I’ve faced in business are mirrored in my personal life and how I view the world. There is a spiritual thread that I’m discovering in being an entrepreneur. I’m discovering that it requires faith, trust, hope, resilience, strength, courage and belief- mostly in myself. It’s scary and thrilling and challenging and at times can leave me feeling beaten down and fragile (like a fossil). But there are also moments of victory and triumph when I finally figure something out or learn how to do something different. That’s why I share my experiences here with you. My hope is you’ll relate and put the pieces together in your own personal and professional tapestry while continuing to live your life on purpose.
These 4 things help me get back on the fast-track to making my dreams a reality, when the struggle feels “real”.
1. Clarify Why: My “why” is crystal clear. I want to live my life exactly the way I envision it to be. My goal is to align my personal, spiritual, professional and creative endeavors so that my life feels cohesive and connected. I am motivated by the power of manifestation. What you think about, you bring about. My mission is simple: I want to be the best version of myself that I can be and inspire you to do the same for yourself. My purpose is clear: I focus on growth, awareness, reflection and personal progress daily and my number one priority is being the best version of myself that I can be so that my light shines bright. I work on the micro (myself) in order to affect the macro (us).
2. Failure unleashes the power within: I never knew how strong I was until I looked back and realized how far I’d come. We don’t give up. People that are carving their own path, simply- DO. NOT. QUIT. It’s not in our DNA. We don’t take the easy road. We take the road less traveled. We don’t take the short cut. We take the long walk to success. We don’t learn from listening to others, we learn by doing it ourselves. I don’t know about you but that’s a fire within that I am eternally grateful to have. It’s a silent strength. It’s courage. It’s tenacity. Be grateful for those gifts. When you feel like giving up, simply reflect. Look at how many times you’ve stumbled. I bet you’ve gotten up every single time and tried again. Not everyone has it in them to do that. It takes a strong willed spirit to keep going. Unless you’ve been pushed beyond certain limits, this wisdom is never activated. Looking back, set backs have taught me to dig deeper into a power I never realized was within me.
3. Adversity offers valuable insight: Adversity is an incredible teacher. It’s the perfect opportunity to gain insight and learn from mistakes so that you’ll have a better chance of success next time. However, it requires reflection. Self reflection. When I made the leap from becoming a private chef to a real co. with employees and contractors it was scary. Here I am, rolling into my 4th month of year 2 as Wylder Space and I’ve had to do a lot of intense reflection. I’ve literally had to learn as I go, make it up as I go, figure it out on the fly as I go, and sprinkled in between, I’ve made a few mistakes along the way. The one thing I know for sure is that when I’ve made mistakes, I’ve learned. I’ve grown. I’ve fixed the problems and we’re better now because of it. It sucks in the midst of it, but it feels good to come out the other side stronger.
4. Refuse to give up: Do you want to know the biggest tip I have to overcoming any crises, whether it be in business or personally? Commit to finding a way forward. That’s it. Commit. It’s like working out. Commit. Be determined and stay motivated. I always go back to Michael Jordan’s quote. I love this quote so much. I get it. I resonate with it. I feel it in every fiber of my being. He says, ” I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” If you refuse to give up, you will always go further than you expected. That’s a true statement my friends. Dig deep and push forward.
My stumbling blocks have been my biggest stepping stones. Did you know that it takes intense and very deep, solid self confidence to be humbled by our shortcomings? Think about that for a moment, when you feel like life is throwing you through a rock tumbler and you can’t tell up from down, catch your breath, swallow your pride, look for the lessons and smile. We’re blessed by grace and gratitude. Always.
With love and gratitude,
xoxo
