Let’s get real people.
This whole small business thing is no joke.
One day you’re flying high like a unicorn proudly prancing over a rainbow…confident, inspired, and driven.
Less than 24-hours later you find yourself at home binge watching the Real Housewives of wherever while gulping a bottle of wine and vowing to never, ever, ever, ever, start your own business again.
And so the cycle continues.
It doesn’t have to be this way, though, I promise! Sure you’ll have ups and downs, lefts and rights, forward steps and backward leaps, but you will survive. Even better, you’ll come out the other end stronger and better prepared to take on future obstacles.
Coming from a recovering perfectionist, this isn’t easy stuff to say.
You have my permission to fail.
Say what?! Hear me out.
I’d be willing to bet at some point in your life you have muttered the words, “If I were only more creative!” (Preceded and followed by a few choice words I’m sure.)
This statement is pure fiction and couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve written about it before, but it bears repeating: Every single person on this planet possesses creativity.
Creativity: The Sum of Failure
Over time, we’ve been programmed to believe that creativity just happens, that only a select few have the gift. Take, for example, the story of the apple hitting Sir Isaac Newton over the head, spontaneously putting the theory of gravity into his mind. The story sounds like some really convenient B.S. legend, but it actually has a lot of truth to it.
You see, the apple didn’t create the theory, it ignited Newton’s creative journey which ended in his discovery of gravity. You go through the same process (and are now able to truthfully say you have something in common with THE Sir Isaac Newton).
I can guarantee after that apple fell Newton went back to his desk and tirelessly worked on equation after equation; continuously failing until one day, his creative journey culminated in this theory of gravity. It probably took him years to get there.
Another famous failure, Thomas Edison. Chances are you’ve probably heard it took the inventor over 10,000 attempts before he finally invented the light bulb.
“I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.” ~Thomas Edison
I’m by no means a mathematician, but it’s pretty safe to say Failure + Failure = Creativity. There may be more than two failures in your equation, but who cares? Trust you’re on the right path.
If that doesn’t resonate with you, think about it this way… You may be one simple failure away from success. Or as Mr. Edison put it, “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
I’m Proud to be a Failure
Shout it from the rooftops if you’ve ever failed at something! Be proud of those attempts and rejoice in the lessons you learned.
Personally, I have a slew of failures behind me. When I started my business, Blogging a la Mode, I was totally unprepared for all that came along with being my own boss. I have terrible time management skills, I don’t prioritize my tasks appropriately and all the legal/tax stuff? Forget about it. Through a series of oops and a-ha moments I’ve grown as a business woman and am now reaping the benefits. My little hiccups along the way (aka failures) better prepared me for the awesomeness that is now upon me… a thriving business that brings me abundance in every aspect of my life.
So yeah, I’m proud to be a Failure, with a capital F.
I’ll leave you with this lil gem of a quote from the Director of some of the greatest (not to mention creative) animated films of our time:
“My strategy has always been: be wrong as fast as we can…which basically means, we’re gonna screw up, let’s just admit that. Let’s not be afraid of that. You can’t get to adulthood before you go through puberty. I won’t get it right the first time, but I will get it wrong really soon, really quickly.” ~Andrew Stanton, Director of Finding Nemo
What failures have brought you closer to creativity and success?