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.

photo credit: Ernst Moeksis

There are many reasons you shouldn’t quit. In this post I share 5 reasons I believe you shouldn’t quit in your endeavor to create or improve your business or your life.

You are probably close to your breakthrough

It is strange the way life works. Many times when the temptation to quit is at its strongest is when you are closest to your breakthrough. It is as though your commitment to succeed is being tested right before reach your goal.

I know you have been working hard to get that next contract, that next business idea, the funding for your enterprise or any other worthy endeavor. I know it has been hard. I encourage you to step back a moment and gain perspective, approach it from a different angle, rest if you must, but don’t quit. Try again because you are almost there. Don’t quit.

Read a great poem about quitting.

You started this for a reason

This quest that you are on, you started for a reason. Take time to remember the “whys” of this endeavor. You did it for your family.  You did it because you believed it would make a difference. You did it to make a better life for yourself. You did it because you wanted to live as a better version of yourself.  Go back and rediscover the reason for your goal and here you will find the reason you shouldn’t quit. Don’t quit.

People are depending on what you are working on

You were put in this world to make a difference. Someone is depending on you. There is some person that deeply needs the very project that you are working on. You are not here just for yourself; you are here to solve a problem. Don’t quit because your project is very important to someone else. Don’t quit.

Even if you fail on this attempt you will have learned something important

You may be thinking of quitting because you are afraid to fail. I invite you to change your thinking about a failed attempt. If you have a failed attempt it doesn’t mean you are a failure. In fact, failure can be very good if you learn from it. Failure is meant to teach you something. Failure is only failure if you don’t try again. Don’t quit.

You don’t want to develop a habit of quitting

Don’t quit because quitting can become a negative habit. When you quit, many times it leads to a feeling of low self-esteem. This can drive you to quit other endeavors when it things get hard. You soon develop a habit of quitting which leads to a string of failures. This creates a vicious cycle and quitting and failure. Don’t quit.

What are some reasons you can think of not to quit? I look forward to your comments.