FAILURE IS NEVER FINAL, IT IS SIMPLY A LEARNING PROCESS TO SUCCESS!

With excitement and enthusiasm I started my small business. I left a very well-paying and comfortable spot with an International company. No longer did I have the security of a weekly paycheck. Now I was on my own to generate an income to provide money for a growing family. After thinking about all the business failures I had heard of and scene, I was a little anxious about my ability to do this. But, I believed in my knowledge, and more so, believed in my ability to succeed.

I worked hard, long hours, and produced a system I was proud to sell. I invested all my time and effort at creating a product that was superior to most for the least cost-though it was more expensive than mass produced computer systems. Because I bought the best parts for my computer systems, I barely made enough money to pay my expenses. However, I had money invested in the right places for exposure, convention shows, travel to meet with the right people I had known in my other company, but my big mistake was too much inventory.  In the computer industry things change fast and inventory is obsolete almost at the time you buy it. Now I did not have enough money to cover my monthly bills. I was discouraged, and the thoughts of failure ran rampant in my head. I had not experienced much failure up to that point and besides, people I was responsible for were counting on me.

As I discussed my options with a successful friend I met with for coffee, He gave me some wisdom he picked up on by Mary Pickford( a Hollywood star from the 20s and 30s):
"If you have made mistakes...
there is always another chance for you...
you may have a fresh start any moment you choose,
for this thing we call 'Failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down."

I also read a quote from my favorite actor, John Wayne: “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.”

These quotes reinforced my determination that I could succeed. Unfortunately, I caught on to my problem too late to save my business as it was, but these great inspirational thoughts made me determined not to make the same mistakes in the future. After a couple of years at odd jobs, I did start a more successful business later and it led to a great job position back in the company I had left. I used the knowledge I had learned in failure to get a great perspective on life...FAILURE IS NEVER FINAL...IT IS SIMPLY A LEARNING PROCESS TO SUCCESS!

Now I have started a new career in writing and believe me the obstacles look like MOUNTAINS! Only 8% of manuscripts actually go to print and not all of those are successful. The most important point here is "choice" because you decide how you view your failure. Whatever you decide to do in life, no matter what the obstacles, learn from your mistakes and view them as stepping stones to a better tomorrow!
See you next blog,
Ted