Failure: Here’s my story.
I am totally beat up today. I mean that physically, not emotionally. Bruises, swelling, aches and pains all over.
Let me start from the beginning…I promise it’s nothing sketchy.
Randi’s Epic “Failure”
It happened yesterday evening.
“What’s that pitter patter, mom?” asked my teenage daughter.
Slowly we followed the sound to its source – a bee buzzing around the bay window of our kitchen table. It was trying over and over again to get outside by hitting the glass window. One side of me said “oh poor thing” and the other side said “holy crow – what are we going to do? There’s a bee in the house!” Also, by the way, I’m 100% allergic to bee stings.
A decision needed to be made.
“The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision.” -Maimonides
“I could spray it and kill it,” I said.
“NO!” said my daughter.
As she and I both knew, bees are essential to the ecosystem, along with having dwindling populations. The decision was made: we had to set it free. But how? Our best option was to open some windows, take out the screens, and hope for the best.
…and that should have been the end of the story…
So picture this: I’m standing on our bay window bench, struggling to open a window, when the bee decided to join me. That’s right – it flew right towards my face! My survival instinct kicked in and I turned to run…on the bench…with slippers on…and that’s when it all happened:
The cushion slid out from under me, and I went sliding too. Somehow I flew into the air and landed horizontally on the tile floor….OUCH!
As I sat up completely stunned, we realized the bee was between the glass of the window and the screen. Without even thinking, I hobbled outside and took the screen out, and the bee flew away – free.
That’s when the pain hit me – wow, I was in a ton of pain, being a total train wreck.
Was this whole situation a complete failure in the end? Maybe.
But all I keep thinking about is the beautiful sight of the bee flying away free.
Small Business Failure
Did you know that the average person makes around 35,000 decisions each day? That’s a lot of decisions. That’s a lot of chances for failure.
But what is failure? Did I really fail when I fell? My body is really hurting today. Some would think that was a huge failure.
Not me; and certainly not my daughter. That bee is now free. We did a tiny part to help the environment.
In reality, you do not fail until you decide you failed.
As a small business owner you will make decisions big and small every day:
- What type of legal structure should the business be?
- How should I fund the business?
- Should I independently develop products or license from another?
- Employees or independent contractors?
The list goes on and on. Know that some decisions will be successes right from the start; and others will become a key part of your journey.
J.K. Rowling, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, and so many other success stories started with epic failures. Think of each failure, big or small, as your own stepping stone to success.
You Got This!
“Failure comes part and parcel with invention. It’s not optional. We understand that and believe in failing early and iterating until we get it right.” -Jeff Bezos
Do you need help with your business’s legal decisions? I can help. Contact me here.
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