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Heeaaaaay!! I’m back in the saddle after a crazy whirlwind month.
First, I was in D.C. for the Summit Series speaking on a
Women’s Business Leadership panel. Super good times.
Besides killer networking and all night dance parties,
I also had the pleasure of hearing Russell Simmons, Ted Turner and Bill Clinton speak.
Pretty epic line-up.
My favorite line from Russell was (and I’m paraphrasing), “Many of my biggest business endeavors were failures before they
became a success. Some failed for as long as six years before they hit. Everyone around me thought I was crazy. You just have to stay at it.”
Interesting, right? Loads of business “failures” coming from an entrepreneur with a multi-passionate net worth of an estimated $340 million.
On that same trip, I also had the pleasure of some RIDICULOUSLY good close up magic from the incomparable David Blaine.
I didn’t know that much about him before meeting him, but let me tell you, this guy is friggin’ s-i-c-k.
While I was holding playing cards in my hands he managed to make them jump, tear, flip and completely transform. Talk about
jaw-dropping. After hanging out with him, I became mildly obsessed and went online to watch everything I could about his other high-profile feats.
Turns out, David gave an amazing TED talk about his many attempts to break the world’s record for holding his breath underwater. He did some pretty crazy and outrageous shit to get there. And, a lot of his failed attempts were very public. Like to the tune of millions and millions of people around the world watching him fail to before he finally succeeded with a mind-blowing time of 17 minutes and 4.4 seconds.
Despite all the public disappointment, criticism and embarrassment, Blaine stuck to it. He kept changing his strategy and eventually, achieved his goal. He continues to be one of the most legendary illusionists and endurance artists of our time.
And last weekend, I was in San Diego at the Hard Rock Hotel for an Internet Marketing event held by one of my friends and favorite marketing mentors, Frank Kern.
Turns out Frank, too, had some pretty seismic stumbles in business (he got sued by the Feds and was nearly bankrupt) before becoming one of the most highly respected, highest paid and most sought after online marketing consultants on the planet. Side note: one of my favorite nuggets from that weekend was Frank’s response to a question on how to write a sales later: ”You sit down and fucking do it.” Now you know why we’re friends
So what’s the point here?
Anyone who accomplishes great things in business and life is bound to “fail” along the way. Feeling like a failure is a natural part of becoming a success. It’s actually a good thing and means you’re taking action and putting yourself out there. Which is WAY more than most critics and naysayers have the balls to do.
I’ll be the first to admit I feel like a failure. Often. You’d be shocked if you knew how much money and time I’ve wasted on “information products” and “business systems” that didn’t work. And then there’s all the cash, time and energy I’ve burned hiring programmers, expensive virtual assistants and designers for projects that never saw the light of day!
Of course, I learned something from each experience so in a very real sense, they did work. But at the same time, they could accurately be considered “failures” too.
The bottom line is this.
Feeling like a failure is normal. It simply means you’re human like the rest of us. You’re actually in the game rather than sitting on the sidelines.
Legendary success in any field requires a shit ton of stick-to-it-ness. When you know you’re meant birth an idea into existence, take it from Russell, David, Frank and yours truly: feeling like a failureoften means you’re moments away from your biggest success.
First, I was in D.C. for the Summit Series speaking on a Women’s Business Leadership panel. Super good times.
Besides killer networking and all night dance parties, I also had the pleasure of hearing Russell Simmons, Ted Turner and Bill Clinton speak.
Pretty epic line-up.
My favorite line from Russell was (and I’m paraphrasing), “Many of my biggest business endeavors were failures before they became a success. Some failed for as long as six years before they hit. Everyone around me thought I was crazy. You just have to stay at it.”
Interesting, right? Loads of business “failures” coming from an entrepreneur with a multi-passionate net worth of an estimated $340 million.
On that same trip, I also had the pleasure of some RIDICULOUSLY good close up magic from the incomparable David Blaine.
I didn’t know that much about him before meeting him, but let me tell you, this guy is friggin’ s-i-c-k.
While I was holding playing cards in my hands he managed to make them jump, tear, flip and completely transform. Talk about jaw-dropping. After hanging out with him, I became mildly obsessed and went online to watch everything I could about his other high-profile feats.
Turns out, David gave an amazing TED talk about his many attempts to break the world’s record for holding his breath underwater.
He did some pretty crazy and outrageous shit to get there. And, a lot of his failed attempts were very public.
Like to the tune of millions and millions of people around the world watching him fail to before he finally succeeded with a mind-blowing time of 17 minutes and 4.4 seconds.
Despite all the public disappointment, criticism and embarrassment, Blaine stuck to it.
He kept changing his strategy and eventually, achieved his goal. He continues to be one of the most legendary illusionists and endurance artists of our time.
And last weekend, I was in San Diego at the Hard Rock Hotel for an event held by one of my friends and favorite marketing mentors, Frank Kern.
Turns out Frank, too, had some pretty seismic stumbles in business (he got sued by the Feds and was nearly bankrupt) before becoming one of the most highly respected, highest paid and most sought after online marketing consultants on the planet.
Side note: one of my favorite nuggets from that weekend was Frank’s response to a question on how to write a sales later: “You sit down and fucking do it.” Now you know why we’re friends
So what’s the point here?
Anyone who accomplishes great things in business and life is bound to “fail” along the way.
Feeling like a failure is a natural part of becoming a success. It’s actually a good thing and means you’re taking action and putting yourself out there.
Which is WAY more than most critics and naysayers have the balls to do.
I’ll be the first to admit I feel like a failure. Often.
You’d be shocked and likely want to shake me silly if you knew how much money and time I’ve wasted on “information products” and “business systems” that didn’t work.
And then there’s all the cash, time and energy I’ve burned hiring programmers, expensive virtual assistants and designers for projects that never saw the light of day!
Of course, I learned something from each experience so in a very real sense, they did work. But at the same time, they could accurately be considered “failures” too.
The bottom line is this.
Feeling like a failure is normal. It means you’re human like the rest of us.
Legendary success in any field requires a shit ton of stick-to-it-ness.
When you know you’re meant to birth an idea into existence, take it from Russell, David, Frank and yours truly: feeling like a failure often means you’re moments away from your biggest success.
Tagged as:
David Blaine,
Failure,
Frank Kern,
President Clinton,
Russell Simmons
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Love it! I’m going to write this line down- “…feeling like a failure often means you’re moments away from your biggest success.”
Being a writer makes the whole failure thing extremely scary. But this is so true. Without failure you’re certainly not reaching for success. So thank you for this!
Thanks sweetheart, this was something i really needed! Have a good day!
Marie, you fell from the sky like an angel with this post. I mean it.
Last night I was looking for your blog because I cleaned out my email and I though I had accidentally unsubscribed from your posts. When I found your blog I realized you had not sent anything in a while. Sigh of relief, I did not miss anything.
The thing is, I am in the middle of taking my business seriously, for the first time, in four years. I decided to stop looking for a job and concentrate on starting the business. I don’t know if I am doing it right or not. I know, I am doing it my way and that is all that matters to me right now. For some it might seem slow. To me, if I make one positive move towards my goal, I am going in the right direction.
Fear of failure is always there. The truth is, I failed myself for four years, because I now figure out I was not trying. And that to me, is the worse possible failure. Thanks you so much for keeping our spirits up while we go through the process.
Thanks for sharing these examples of failure. Sometimes my fear of failure is so great, I quit or don’t bother to try. Of those options, failure is actually the best! On my journey to success, I’d like to embrace the possibility of failure.
Tanessa´s last blog ..Dream notes
I sometimes peak at your blog and, I have to tell you, you just sang a lullaby to my soul.
I sat down at my computer today and I thought, “Boy, I’m still not feeling like my loving empowered self.” So I asked myself what it was I WAS feeling. The response?
“I feel like a failure.”
That shocked me because I don’t appear to have any huge failure looming over my head; so I think it is more that I am seeing myself so close to flying with my business. . .but haven’t YET. I haven’t yet seen that golden egg of success I can picture so clearly, and I’ve grown impatient for no reason other than the dwindling bank account. (ah, fear crops it’s ugly head again) I didn’t know it, but I needed a stick-to-itness speech.
And you gave me one.
I cannot tell you how much gratitude I feel right now. Days ago I was on my knees praying for guidance – I suddenly felt lost, thinking of moving, getting another job. . .
You were the answer to my prayer. I am SO close, and I desperately needed someone to say “keep going.”
Thank you. Thank you so much.
This article is very good and one of my favourite quotes is that nothing can take the place of persistance. Talent and intelligence cannot succed without persistence…so I totally agree to it . thanks Marie for such a great article.
Really makes you think about all those overnight successes (I’m looking at Kern) who worked for years in the background before actually succeeding. We never see (or at least we don’t remember) all the blood sweat and tears, just the grand moment when they finally stepped out into the spotlight.
Sometimes it makes you feel like you should be further along than you are but I think Frank Kern’s quote about writing a sales letter is the best advice for feeling like failure. Some days you may feel like giving up, on those days “You sit down and fucking do it.”
Daniel Roach´s last blog ..What the Most HATED Cell Phone Company in America Can Teach You About Building Your Online Business
Lucky girl! Love the post!
Pam French´s last blog ..Believing IS Seeing
Perfect timing Mrs. Forleo. Perfect timing.
Andy Fogarty´s last blog ..My Kick Ass #FollowFriday Peeps For This Week
Great post, it was so on time!!!
I agree totally. There is a saying that the darkest part of the day is just before the dawn. No matter what the obstacles are perseverance and tenacity will overcome them.
So true, Marie! I wish I had your blog post years back when my son’s wrestling team didn’t make the cut for state finals. I knew there was valuable learning in the experience for the team, and I tried to convey that. But I couldn’t find any resources about how failure is intrinsically linked to success. And now you’ve said it so well.
Look how many comments your post has generated…that’s success! I’m so happy for you!
I think we all need to clearly define what “success” looks like for ourselves. For some, it can be measured in dollars. For others, in personal satisfaction/fulfillment. For yet others, in terms of how they’ve impacted their community and left a legacy. Failures and embarrassments…they’re nothing…in the grand scheme of the individual course we’re each on.
Judy Ransom´s last blog ..A Perfect Day
Love, love love this Marie. You always hit the nail on the head and at just the right moment.
Maria´s last blog ..Backlink Love From Twellow
This was a great post!
One of my favorite quotes is: “When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.”
I remember being so scared to start my business & take the leap of faith because I was afraid to fail. When I told my best friends father this in asking for advice, he said, “Don’t be afraid to fail, ever! If you fail, at least you know you tried. You’ll never have to live with the regret of not knowing & asking yourself ‘what if?’.” That always stuck with me and this post is just another verification that you have to fail in order to succeed.
Thanks Marie! Glad to have you back posting new stuff again.
Oh God, I am green with envy that you got to meet the Frank Kern. He is my favorite IM. He is one (and you of course) are one of the few people whose newsletter i actually open, I watch all his videos and get his stuff.
I think one of these days I really must visit the USA.
Claudia´s last blog ..5 Dating Mistakes That Women Make With Men
Marie — I love this post. What a great string of wonderfully successful people from ALL different walks of life. And all with the same message: it’s about the journey thru the failures that leads to real success. So true! And holy $#@% 17 minutes , David Blaine? If he can hold his breathe that long…than well, anything is possible for the rest of us…
Heather´s last blog ..The Real Truth about Your Body
Failure? Hah! What the fuck is that? It (what ever you were doing) was a success right up until YOU DECIDED it was a failure!
No-thing is any-thing until YOU DECIDE what it is!
Here is an outstanding quotation that came into my awareness not long ago:
“It is not the unanswered questions that cause our problems. It is the unquestioned answers!”
“Sang a song to my soul” – Great line!
One thing I really dislike is failure but realise it’s what I have to experience in order to progress. Damn!
Laughed out loud about your assessment of why you and Frank Kern are friends–I miss you Marie! Great post as always!!
Great post, Marie! It’s especially hard, sometimes, for entrepreneurs and small biz owners when they feel like they’re going it alone. Even for myself, as one who’s been described as being “like a dog with a bone,” and never one to give up, it can be tough to always stay on top and believe that success is on the way. So we gotta hang in there and keep believing!
Great post! It’s so nice to know that everyone has ‘failures’ and hard times during their business adventures. It gives me motivation to know that it is ‘normal’ and ‘ok’ and that success might be just around the corner!
This is such a great post, Marie! What you have done here is normalize failure and made it something to actually strive for in some ways. (Thank god! LOL) How many quotes can we rattle off the top of our heads about failure… “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again”…
I always tell my clients that it is way better to try an idea and “fail” than to save the money, time and energy and wonder what would have happened if…
As you said, it is often during these so called “failures” that we realize we actually did learn and acquire something, it just wasn’t the money, fame or status that we thought we were going for. We just have to be looking for the positives in order to see it.
We all have that idea file with a million half-done projects, but for one reason or another, we keep creating. Some of those ideas turn into fabulous successes and others are what I call “practice”. We are practicing for the home run.
So, for the purposes of this post, I would like to propose that we turn the negative idea of “failure” into the positive meaning in “practice”. What do you think?
Britt Michaelian´s last blog ..5 Ways to Grow Your Business, Work Less and Enjoy the Summer With Your Kids
Ummmm…did you write this blog ESPECIALLY FOR ME? I am not sure why all these other people are commenting on MY BLOG POST–because you might at as well put at the top “Dear Amy” before you dove into the good stuff
THANK YOU for always putting into REAL, RAW, KICK-ASS perspective.
Much love,
A
I can totally relate. I do have successful moments, but there are times where I feel like the biggest failure that ever hit the web. This is especially true when I look back at my goals and I’m still not where I want to be.
I started putting some other projects into action after I read this article. I’m almost done with something I thought would have taken weeks. Thanks for the inspiration Marie!
AJ´s last blog ..5 Weeks of Cognitive Walkthroughs
Thank GOODNESS that feeling like a failure IS a good thing!
What I really APPRECIATE is the fact that Russell Simmons – whom I grew up listening to when he was with Run DMC – had a six year stretch in which he was moving toward SUCCESS.
Even if took that long for me, I am GRATEFUL that I am already a few years in.
I also LOVE the multi-passionate phrase! Far too often the mantra is FOCUS on one area that you are passionate and run with it.
Well, to take a step toward what I want to achieve in life, I respectfully have to disagree with the other experts and say that I am becoming a multi-passionate entrepreneur!
Thanks for being you!
Eric´s last blog ..Does Showing Appreciation Really Help Social Networking Relationships
Awesome post just when I needed to hear it. It is so true that we usually fail before we make it and you just can’t give up.
Laura
Laura´s last blog ..Exercise 101 Aerobics Vs Anaerobic Which is better-
Hi Marie,
Luv your writing style! Thanks for inspiring me to keep going no matter what obstacles (or failures) are in the way. Sounds like you are living a fun adventure in life
Great post, I really enjoyed the reading.
You are right never give up, this is key to success. Many people quit, because they thing they are not successful, but just like Bob Proctor said, they just dont finished the job.
Thanks for sharing.
Jiri Majkus
Internet Marketing Coach and Author
Jiri Majkus´s last blog ..How To Increase Capture Page Opt In Rate With This Simple Method
Hey Marie,
We all have those moments… failure? I see it as something that just didn’t work out at the time… next idea and move on.
Coach Freddie
Coach Freddie´s last blog ..What Is Success
Hey Marie,
Such a great post… and I got a good laugh
from Frank’s response to writing a sales letter:)
David Blain is an amazing human being. I’ve
seen so much of his stuff, as well as his TED
talk.
He is an example of pushing the human potential
MUCH further then we think is possible.
Thanks for sharing this inspiring post
Eric Goldstein´s last blog ..Thank Someone Who Has Touched Your Life…
Hi Marie,
Great post, great blog. Thanks for sharing this article.
wow, I found your article at the right time. When reading it, my feelings of being a failure I had throughout the day, vanished immediately. It’s not about whining together, but it’s good know that it’s absolutely normal to feel bad sometimes. So chances are I’m only a couple of moments away from a huge success. Universe, I’m open to receive
Take care
Oliver
Oliver Tausend´s last blog ..The Fall of a Leader – from the Desk of my Friend and Mentor Michael Dlouhy
Hi Marie,
I felt compelled to write on your blog. It is absolutely buzzing with energy and I love your style. You are also stunning, if only I was a guy lol. (That totally wasn’t supposed to sound creepy!!)
Anyway, I recently did a post on never giving up and how we can all reach our goals if we just continue even when the odds are stacked against us. Some people need to see it to believe it, others just believe it!
I am happy to be in the latter party and know beyond anything that I will be a success, I just gotta keep going.
You sure party with some cool guys, so glad I found you. Hope to connect with you sometime.
Beth
Beth Hewitt´s last blog ..Day 6 and 7 Blog Content Challenge – Are you Ready for MarketMeTweet V2
Thanks for this much-needed reminder! Yes, a shit ton of stick-to-it-ness is the great formula for success and the occasional “failure” shouldn’t be allowed to get in the way.
Hi Marie
Loved this post and your style. Excellent info and very entertaining.
Sue
Sue Price´s last blog ..Start Your Home Based Business like a Business
hi marie
tnx a lot for ur blog
u r special
Hey Marie! Thanks for this! I feel like a failure often, and yet, I’ve been moving forward…does that make sense?
Emily Giuffre´s last blog ..Katie Freiling’s the Unified Tribe- Make Social Media Work for You
Hi Marie, I absolutely love this post! It completely resonated with my on so many counts. I truly believe that you need to stick with it even in the hardest times. You really need to believe in yourself and have such strong conviction and inner strength especially if others closest to you don’t believe in you.
Everything takes time and success doesn’t happen overnight. As long as you have a clear direction where you are headed, good work ethic, perseverance, positive mindset, and surround yourself with likeminded lpositive people then you can make your goals and successes come to fruition.
I too feel I have spent a ridiculous amount of money on workshops, seminars, etc. etc. etc. It all comes down to just staying focused and doing it….
Thanks again for sharing Marie!
Laura
Hi Marie, I found this article/posting to be very insightful and inspiring. It makes sense- there is a reason for our failures. It sure doesn’t seem like that when you feel down in the dumps, but when you think about it, failing is what makes a success so incredibly worth it! There is something so incredibly awesome about what you have to say. Whenever I finish reading an article of yours, or listen to your Live in the Moment Booty Camp, I feel like I can do absolutely anything.
Thanks again!
Hi, Marie!
Thank You so much for posting! After reading I feel like I can do absolutely anything.
I read this when you first posted it and don’t think I ever said Thank you!
So thank you for this great post and I think it’s a good reminder for anyone trying to achieve anything…whether it’s in their business or with their health & fitness. The stick-to-it mentality is the ONLY way to get where you want…
Anne Samoilov´s last blog ..It’s Your Turn…
My favorite Frank Kern quote: “You have to decide how far off your ass you’re willing to get.”
Sonia Simone´s last blog ..The Force that Powers Persuasive Content And 3 Ways to Intensify It
Marie, I am addicted to you! Really, you are one of the most inspiring women I´ve ever meet with.
Please go on with your great work!
Love <3
Eva Marie
Okay… Completely AWESOME Post Marie! I had nice laugh and truly loved it! It is so very true about how failing is truly bringing in success. I think any Entrepreneur who is successful knows this… and those who are not yet, soon will if they keep on going no matter what.
Failure is our learning curve and will allow us to achieve results. I personally had my share of failures the last 6 years but hey it was every ounce worth it because I would not be achieving the success I am now if it were not for my failures!
Great stuff… truly appreciated it!
Jennifer May´s last blog ..Closing Prospects- How I Closed 61 Prospects In ONLY 60 Days
Thank you Marie for posting this! The past nine months have been ‘ugly’ for me and when I clicked on this link -randomly- I received such peace and a clearer understanding of questions floating around in my brain cell.
Thank you for being willing to ‘vent’ out to others!
Take care!
“When you know you’re meant to birth an idea into existence, take it from Russell, David, Frank and yours truly: feeling like a failure often means you’re moments away from your biggest success.” OHHH this was rockstar and I loved it.
THANK you!!
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