Nov 29, 2011
OK – so maybe ALL success doesn’t start with failure, but a lot of it does. How many cliché, inspirational phrases out there surrounding success?
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” said William E. Hickson.
An unknown source has been quoted saying, “To get something you’ve never had, you need to do something you’ve never done.”
Here’s a quick little personal story. In my past life (pre-baby, when I had something resembling free time on my hands), I competed in figure competitions. Figure competition is a division of bodybuilding, which focuses more on muscle tone and symmetry than size of muscle.
It requires standing on stage wearing nothing but a bikini and heels and being judged against your peers as to who looks the most femininely toned and aesthetically symmetrical.
The preparation for such a competition is wonderfully intense. For 3-4 months before getting on stage competitors follow a diet of mostly plain chicken breast, brown rice and vegetables. Workouts are insane, sometimes 2 hours of cardio a day just to prepare for the overall three minutes you will have on stage.
When I started the process I was scared to death. But I faced the challenge head on. And I fell on my butt a couple times. Not literally (a lucky feat considering the heels are 5 inches tall!), but due to lack of dedication on the diet or effort with my workouts, I didn’t do well on stage.
In my eyes…I failed.
I’m a perfectionist. Failure isn’t an option for me and because of this, winning was my only option. Second, third, fourth place didn’t cut it…period.
After a string of “failures”, I decided to give it one more whirl. It was to be my 9th show. My highest ranking was 2nd place and I was determined to beat it.
Instead of working with a trainer and having someone tell me what to do, I decided I knew my body the best and I embarked on training myself.
I won. Finally, three years and 9 shows later, I took home the first place trophy. I coach now, helping my figure competitors discover what will help them succeed. My very first competitor won her pro card in the first show she competed in.
My point here is that I do believe in order to succeed; you have to know how to fail, and fail with grace. Because through failure, you learn enough to know what will help you succeed.
Trying something new and unfamiliar is all about testing your boundaries and discovering things about yourself that you never knew you could do. It’s also about learning and accepting where your limits are.
New ventures will just plain tell you what you’re no good at. And you have two options at that point.
1. Redirect and come at it from another angle
2. Leave it to someone who is good at it and try something else
So what’s the point of all this?
I’m sharing all of this with you because TxMQ is damn good at what we do, and it’s because we’ve never been afraid to walk away from what we KNOW we’re no good at.
The product of who we are as a company right now is from years of trial and error. But that trial time has really opened the door for us as a company and given us an identity we can all be comfortable with.
What are you good at?
Have you examined your company lately and figured out what you’re really good at and what you need help with? Because your success will take flight when you admit what you’re really bad at.
We have clients know that their weakness starts with staffing and finding the best talent for their company. Because they acknowledge this, they have turned to TxMQ to take care of their staffing needs.
And we do. Because we do what we’re good at and we’re not afraid to say no if we’re presented with something outside of our comfort zone.
In 2012, I challenge you to take a look at what you do well and where your weaknesses lie. And when you’re ready to take that step, come to us and we can partner with you to make sure that you focus on only what will bring you success.
When you’re ready, call me, Wendy, at 716-636-0070 (29) or email me at wendy@txmq.com. I will help you figure out exactly what we can do to help you succeed in 2012 (I’m a coach, remember? And I will be more than happy to be your coach, too!)
