If you are not, you will never reach your potential. Nothing great has ever been achieved without a willingness to fail. The simple truth is that success cannot be achieved without a willingness to fail.
This is true in life and in business. So often people search for the “perfect” business. It doesn’t exist. Buying a business is risky. Many people buy franchises because they think they are less risky. Not true. If your sole reason for buying a franchise is “I can’t fail with a franchise”, you are mistaken.
There is no logical reason to fear failure. But most of us do (including me). And yet, the only way around your fears is to act inspite of them. Embrace the notion that you are going to fail at some point, and when you do it will be that much easier to rebound. Plus, you have only truly failed if you are unable to get back in the game. Find me one successful person who hasn’t failed, and I will find you a liar. The “holy grail” is not certainty of success but rather the courage to follow your passion and build a life for yourself and family that you are proud of and enjoy. Sounds so simple, but it isn’t.
If you take anything away from this post, it should be this: It is the journey you decide to take that will ultimately define you, not the failures along the way. The journey of creating and owning a business consistent with your values. The journey of making decisions (some right, some wrong) that impact the nature of your success. The journey of meeting great people along the way that will help you in ways you can’t predict. And the journey of errors that will define and re-define your path, but help get you to a place of fulfillment. The journey is the reason why you should be willing to fail. Because with out the failure, you can’t reach the peaks. Without the frustrations, you won’t appreciate your achievements.