I do a speech called, “Fail Your Way to Success” and my opening line is, “What failure brought you to this place at this time?” My definition of failure includes any setback, caused by you on not. Failure is not a person. It is an outcome. You are not a failure. What you tried to do failed. You only become a failure when you stop trying. What I mean is as we journey through life, our destination is often determined more by our failures than our successes because failure demands an action whereas success allows us to maintain the status quo. How we handle our failures is of major importance during our life’s journey.
A few years ago I interviewed Zig Ziglar on my radio show and asked him what he would say to listeners that were having a tough time. I will never forget his answer. Zig said, “I would tell them it is down in the valley where the food is grown that will take them to the top of the mountain.”
I know it may seem bleak but this recession could be an opportunity. How so? Another question I ask during that speech is, “Has success prevented you from achieving your life’s goal?” Many of us had achieved a level of success that put us in a comfort zone
and sidetracked us and took away our passion. This could be an opportunity to put that passion back in your life and maybe change careers or re-dedicate yourself to become the best at what you do.
Forty years ago, I was an IT program manager for RCA when RCA decided to get out of the computer business. Overnight I was out of a job. It was devastating and scary. However, it was an opportunity to re-assess my career and my future. The truth is that I
really did not like my job. I wanted to work with people, not computers. So I decided to go into sales for job security. I attacked the sales process and after a couple false starts I became the top salesperson in my company. Then, it happened again. The company I worked for closed their East Coast operation and I was on the street again. But this time it was different. I was really good at sales and could easily transfer that skill to another company. I landed another job within two weeks and became the top salesman in the US in our industry.
All of the wonderful success that I have enjoyed in my life started when I lost my job at RCA. If you are between jobs or are worried about your future remember Zig’s words. You are preparing to climb the mountain and as Zig always says, I’ll see you at the top.