Mastering Business Development: June 2007

How Good Are You At Successfully Failing?

The philosophy of risking, failing and learning is one of the most powerful concepts to embrace to further yourself personally and professionally. How many times have you decided to change because you are not satisfied with the current results your prospects delivered ... or your revenue or profit goals reached ... and then backed off when the psychological and/or physical discomfort of the unfamiliar set in? Loosening your hold on the certain or the status quo to strive for something better is risky business. It carries the risk of failure.

Risking is the act of letting go - letting go of something you are certain of and reaching out for something you are not sure of, but believe it is better than what you have. In every risk situation there is an unavoidable loss … something that has to be given up in order to move forward. Success depends more on your willingness to risk than being concerned about what happens if you fail.

When you are unhappy with where you are, you should be willing to risk … risk getting out of your comfort zone and risk failure. Only by risking failure are you likely to succeed in anything. Too many people waste their lives thinking their objective is to succeed, when in reality all they are doing is avoiding failure. Further, in their avoidance of failure, they have blocked their deepest creative forces within that can make a life fulfilling, exciting and meaningful.

The learning part of failure is quite obvious. Every failure represents a lesson. Every failure adds another level of wisdom. Consider this: The most successful Business Development professionals have failed more than anyone who is a true failure thought possible. Success and failure are deeply intertwined. As Colin Powell once said, "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure."

Are you ready to risk failure? Are you prepared to fail your way into success?
How good are you at successfully failing?

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