Are you willing to face your fear of failure? If you aren’t you will be in trouble. Failure mistakingly is always given a negative connotation. But what if I told you that one can fail TO success? Seems like a crazy oxymoron, right?

Not so. Let me ask you this: What is failure?

Think about it. What is your knee jerk reaction?

Most people equate failure with money. Fair enough as we all need money. But…

How much money would it take you for you to NOT consider your venture a failure?

$1? $1,000? $100,000? $1,000,000? $10,000,000? $100,000,000? More? 

Lets say you made $100,000,000 but in the process ignored your family, lost your friends, and developed a heart condition. Is that a failure or success? My point is failure is RELATIVE and certainly not all about the almighty dollar.

Lets say your business in traditional money terms is a failure. You didn’t make the money you hoped or your lost money and have to close up shop. That must certainly be a failure because you lost money right? 

But what if you learned something more valuable than money either about yourself or business? 

What if you make a huge realization about yourself? Made new friends and colleagues? Know to to improve next time? Learned a ton about a business you knew nothing about? Met someone that leads you to your next project? Met your wife or husband because of the business? The list is endless! 

To me, there is only ONE type of failure: not trying. Be willing to fail and you will end up succeeding.

Stop thinking of failure in dollars and sense and instead measure it by what you learn because accumulating knowledge and skills will lead to your ultimate success, no matter how you define it. 

Live Passionately! – David Siteman Garland – The Creative Opportunity Specialist

Going along with the them of the first episode of The Rise To The Top making its debut on November 8th, this month’s blog posts will be all about “firsts”.

Make sure to check in and hear from the experts and myself on all kinds of “first” topics to get your business and life on track for success. 

And keep the GREAT emails coming! We love to hear your feedback! 

Live Passionately! – David Siteman Garland – The Creative Opportunities Specialist 

In an email sent to me the other day, someone asked: “How do I know if I’m ready to start to my own business?”

This is a great question because what kind of metrics can be used to determine if you are ready? For starters, everyone is different so there is no fail-proof method, but a great starting point is to ask yourself these five questions:

1. Is this an unbelievable opportunity that I am passionate about?

2. Am I ready to FULLY commit myself (money, resources, etc.)?

3. Can I survive on making little-to-no-money for months or years to get the business going?

4. Can I create this business without sacrificing in the long run things important to me (such as family, health, etc.)?

5. Will I be able to wake up everyday, look in the mirror, and say “I was born to do this!”?

Answering “YES!” to the above questions (and of course elaborating) is a nice assessment tool. And make sure to answer honestly and not what you THINK you should say, because the truth will always come out in the end. 

Live Passionately! – David Siteman Garland – The Creative Opportunities Specialist 

Looking to comment on any posts? Simply click the comment box below. Get ready to rise on November 8th! 

Welcome everyone to my blog here on The Rise To The Top! Make sure to keep an eye on this page as there will be constant updates to further your entrepreneurship and lifestyle education.

You will hear from the experts, view innovative articles, and have an up-to-minute tips of how to live your life with passion. There will be tons of fun too with behind the scenes at television shoots, bloopers, and I’m sure an array of random material.

Happy reading, blogging, and living!
Live Passionately! – David Siteman Garland – The Creative Opportunities Specialist