Friends, this was a post I wrote last year that popped up in my memories today. I wanted to share here, because I am hearing that many are experiencing a slow down in their business. My hope is that this encourages you to keep going and to know that you are never alone. Do Not Give Up!
YES, I have failed… a lot. If you aren’t failing, then maybe you are not pushing the limits hard enough. It may be time to raise your ceiling.
“Thomas Edison said he failed his way to success. I have heard on several occasions that he made approximately 2000 attempts to invent the lightbulb, and failed repeatedly before he succeeded. Now though, when you ask people who invented the lightbulb, they say Thomas Edison. He is remembered for his success, not his failures.”
“The material used to manufacture Kleenex tissues was originally invented as a gas mask filter during world war one. It later failed as a cold cream remover, but finally hit upon success when it was repackaged as a disposable handkerchief. Now Americans buy nearly 200 billion tissues a year. Just because you fail at something, doesn’t make you a failure.”
Authentically and Uniquely You, Joyce Meyer
Honestly, these stories are endless & everywhere. I personally stopped fearing failure in 2019 when I got very ill, business slowed, and our bank accounts were quickly emptying. Honestly, I was embarrassed to talk about it because so many people had made comments about how successful we had become. I shamed myself and broke down to Annette Cantu Smith saying “What will everyone think of me? I feel like a failure.”
Ultimately I had to remember that helping families is why we do what we do. It’s the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s every day life AND be an income source that allows us to pour back into our community and missionary work. I spent the little money we had left, booked a plane ticket with a friend Samantha Varner to a conference, and changed my mindset. It was a very scary time, but I knew we could fail forward.
Once the fear of failure had left (because I WAS failing already), life became enjoyable again and the heavy bricks were lifted off my shoulders. There was a sense of freedom that I felt, that grew stronger each day.
Our most successful year up to that point was 2020. Ever since we tasted failure, our business continues to thrive. The more I share this story, the more friends I make too! No one cares about how successful you are, but they do care whether you are authentic, transparent, real, and kind.
