I Failed. Yippee! By Marsha Bailey, Founder & CEO

I’ve never been a fan of certain kinds of self-help books – the kind that promise amazing personal transformation if you just follow the author’s simple ten-step formula. The first thing on most lists is the power of positive thinking. It goes something like this: If you put positive thoughts (or energy) out into the universe, good things will happen.

Now, I consider myself an optimist, but that doesn’t mean I believe that sending positive energy into the universe, however one does that, is sufficient to garner results.

I’m a realist: things happen because of my actions. Now, it’s true that if I don’t believe in myself, I may never take the actions needed to succeed, but success is more than believing: it’s doing. That’s why I love Nike’s trademark slogan, Just do it. It’s not Ask everybody you know if they think you should do it, go back to school and get a Ph.d., wait for a sign and then do it. It’s Just do it.

What do you have to lose? Well, you might fail. But everybody fails. Did you succeed the first time you tried to walk or ride a bike or tie your shoes? Failure means you tried.

There’s nothing wrong with failing unless you don’t learn anything from it. Everybody who signs up for a WEV class doesn’t start a business. Some clients do the research and find out their business idea isn’t feasible. In our book, that’s a success, not a failure. Some people move on to another idea. Others go back to their day job with a renewed commitment. Bottom line is, they move on. That’s a good thing. Don’t let fear of failure keep you from trying, because, you know what? You just might succeed.

Agree or disagree? What do you think? When things don’t go the way you planned, how do you keep yourself motivated? Join the conversation.