Entrepreneurs, Turn Past Failures Into Successes (Part 1)
photo credit: hans.gerwitz
Too many entrepreneurs allow their past failures to keep them from moving forward and pursuing new opportunities. They tend to magnify these failures and allow these failures to hold them hostage. Don’t let this be you. In this post I give you 3 of the 7 bite sized nuggets to consider about your past failures and show you how to use these as stepping-stones to new opportunities.
Forgive yourself – It is amazing how hard we entrepreneurs can be on ourselves. When we make mistakes we often blame ourselves and then condemn ourselves to the entrepreneurial dungeon. To be truly successful as an entrepreneur you need to take responsibility for the mistake but don’t dwell on it and condemn yourself. You also shouldn’t blame others either. Even if they were a part of the reason you made the mistake, forgive them. Lack of forgiveness is a negative drain on your present and it sabotages your future.
Don’t allow fear to hold you hostage – Sometimes we are able to forgive ourselves but we are afraid to try again. We allow the fear of failing again to hold us back. It is imperative that we get past this stage. The key is to properly define failure. As entrepreneurs we must realize that to fail at something is just an event not a state of being. We are not failures because we have failed attempts. As a matter of fact, most successful entrepreneurs have had many failed attempts. They usually have many more failed attempts than the average entrepreneur. In order to move forward we must resolve to make another attempt using the information we gained from this event.
Glean lessons from the failed attempt – As an entrepreneur it is important to measure and analyze. Think of yourself as a scientist when it comes to attempts. Look at the failed attempt objectively and determine what went wrong. Identify all of the contributing factors that went into this being a failed attempt and then prioritize the factors. You will probably find that one or two factors contributed to the failure considerably more than any other factor. Isolate these factors and do an analysis to see what you can do to make changes in this area.
In Part 2 of this series I will share with you 4 other nuggets. As always I look forward to your comments.
Forgivng yourself
This can be difficult. However realizing that mistakes are a part of learning will help move you foward.
Don’t allow fear to hold you hostage
Hopelessness can come over you/ Why try again/ But as you said we are not FAILURES/ We should be learning opportunists
Glean lessons from the failed attempt
Most of the time I lose the desire to move foward but i must.
Taking time to learn from failure is a healthy way to deal with it. You can always learn if you can move in this direction.