Don't Be Afraid to Fail!

Are you ever afraid to take chances? One thing I’ve noticed through the years is that too many people (especially sales professionals) are held back by their fears to the point they never take the chances that could lead to success and prosperity.

They’re afraid to make a phone call. They’re afraid to introduce themselves to somebody new. They’re afraid of rejection. They’re even afraid to sit down and ask questions.

Keep in mind, it's not something a person is born with; that’s something they learn. This is something that’s acquired over years and years of mistakes, rejection, and other failures. Fail enough times and you end up at a point where you’re simply afraid of going down that road again.

This is something you need to break.

I get excited to share stories of my failures … and successes.

I recently found myself in Boston at a convention where I got to meet entrepreneurs, CEOs, and other executives, most of whom are in the solar and renewable energy space. I got so excited talking, meeting, and sharing my experiences with them.

I love talking about all the experiences I’ve had through the years, both the good and the bad, the successes and the failures.

There are two reasons I do this: one, to help them feel better, especially if they’re having doubts about themselves, their success, or their future. Second, it adds value to a conversation.

I’ve noticed a lot of people are afraid of this because they think it shows them as a failure and that goes against the grain. I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years and I’ve failed more times than I’ve won.

You’ve probably heard that old cliché, that each failure is another step closer to success, but does that really help when you’re frozen by fear in the first place? Most people seem to be afraid because they don’t want to fail and be judged.

However, you need to fail more every day.

That’s right, you need to fail more each day.

When you fail, people aren’t judging you; they’re judging themselves. They’re judging their own inability to change, to put themselves out there and be willing to fail in the first place.

They’re afraid to make a call, introduce themselves, or initiate a conversation. Yet, there you are doing that very thing.

Think about this: if you’re heading to a conference soon and you know you need to drum up business and meet people, talk to people, and so forth, what’s the worst that can happen?

You get rejected? You get ignored? You get shot down?

In most cases, the worst thing anyone’s going to say to you is, “I’m not interested.”

Big deal! That’s fine. You can’t take that personally. When they say no, they aren’t saying no to you personally. They may not be interested. So what? But, there may be other things going on in their life. They may be having a difficult time in their marriage, a family member might be sick, their dog could’ve chewed their favorite pair shoes.

You have no idea what’s going on in their life at that moment.

So, the next conference you go to, make sure you fail at least three times. That means you’re going to have to put yourself out there.

Acknowledge the fear, accept the fear.

Then say, ‘Screw it,’ and go do it anyway. Find the person you want to meet, the one you want to talk to, and just do it. That business owner. That person you’ve been following quietly on LinkedIn (let’s not call it ‘stalking’), the other professional you’ve been wanting to meet.

When they say no, thank them for their time. Appreciate the opportunity. Then move onto the next one.

Don’t be afraid to fail because when you fail, it’s only getting closer to that next success.

And remember, live with passion!

Anthony

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