One afternoon in September 2017, two friends were on the phone touching base and getting accountability for their business goals.
They had been holding each other accountable for the better part of that year. This day however, something changed for both of them. And it changed the course of their lives and businesses…forever.
This was a phone call between Lillian Macharia and myself. Towards the end of the call, Lillian reminded me of a business we and four other trainers had talked of starting way back in 2012.
She then asked the ONE QUESTION that changed the direction of our lives. She asked, “What if we had gone ahead with this? Where would we be today?”
After some reflection, the discussion changed to: “Why not do it now?” Then it moved to: “What is stopping us?” Within an hour, this moved from a business idea into a business.
First, we identified what we could do together as we were both coaches. Then, we explored the skills and experiences we were lacking. Finally, we identified two coaches whom we wanted to join us. Over the course of three days, we invited the two coaches and they both said YES!
One month and four teleconference meetings later, Biashara 360 was born with three founders: Lillian Macharia, Veronica Waithaka, and myself. Unfortunately, the 4th founder had to opt out during the startup phase due to other commitments.
And then there was one…
As we’ve shared over the last four blog posts, things didn’t go quite as we expected within the first year. For one, this year was a very challenging one in many ways. Also, while there was a lot of work going on, the business wasn’t picking up as we expected.
Finally, there was a lot going on in everyone’s life and some of the events that unfolded made it hard to concentrate on business. The end result was a whittling down of the founding team to one.
At first, this change felt like a failure. I really didn’t know how I was going to handle the business without my partners. It took a few months before I was able to shift things around and move forward – alone.
A few days ago, I got a clear reminder that change and/or failure is not a bad thing. This reminder came as I watched Sunny Bindra interview Nivi Sharma who advises that you need to fail faster in your business so that you improve on what you offer.
That has certainly been the case for me all through my business life!
Coming from a success-oriented background, I feared failure. Despite having worked with medical research scientists, for whom failure is a regular part of their lives, I still never wanted to try things that might fail.
One of the things I never understood about the (seemingly mad) scientists is the fact that someone can spend 10 or more years working on something, and it still fails. And…the scientist takes some time out, evaluates what went right or wrong, re-calibrates, starts mapping out a new plan, and moves forward.
One of the scientists I worked with taught me a lot about dedication to your path and giving it your all. He used to tell us that each failure is a step forward because you get new information about what to do or not do next time. I totally agree with him now.
The end can be a new beginning
That’s the lesson I thought was worth sharing with you today. In fact, it wasn’t even in my mind when I started writing the original version of this article.
I was sitting looking at the white screen of death (a writer’s nightmare when you want to write and nothing is coming forth!) and wondering, “What can I say to motivate at least one person who’s working on their business?”
I posted that version in a Facebook group I manage and then expanded it here. It’s my hope that this article will motivate you if you’re struggling with obstacles as you work on your career or business goals.
So here is the lesson…
- First, you never know how your goals will unfold.
- Second, you also never know how long it will take before you actually achieve success beyond your dreams.
- Finally, you may have goals and an idea of how things will be in the end, but life will take you on a journey that you have practically no control of.
Are you going to enjoy this journey and milk it for all that it’s worth? Or will you resist, struggle, let life drag you…and possibly even give up?
These are the questions that are running through my mind as I’m in the process of taking over Biashara 360 on my own. I have the choice to make something great out of this. Or I could let it become a struggle. Or I could give up. There’s only one correct answer out of these three options, and it’s not the second or third one!
Over to you…
Getting back to you, what I can say is that as long as you hold on to your dream and are willing to do what it takes to achieve it, then you will succeed.
And, if along the way things change and your dream is no longer fulfilling, then be willing to let go. Start over or find something that makes your blood race to quote Veronica in this blog post.
No career, job, business, or goal is worth the stress of working on something that’s not making you happy. However, you can’t sit on the fence once this realization sets in. You must take a stand.
Today, I ask you to take a stand about a goal you’ve been struggling with. Is it worth pursuing anymore? Or is this a dream that looked great, but now feels like a noose around your neck?
You know what the answer is for you. Just be willing to take a deep breath and choose. And you need to be OK with your choice once you’ve made one.
This is a lesson I’ve taken to heart because there are goals I now have to give up so that I concentrate on those that matter. It’s also the lesson I’m sharing with you this week as I welcome you to join me in the Goal Setting for Peak Performance class.
The end of one thing can indeed be a stepping stone to a new beginning.
(Image Credit: Unsplash)
Setting goals doesn’t mean you’ll achieve them as expected…
When you set your goals, you have an idea of what you want to achieve. You also probably expect the end result to end up as you expected. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always go as we expect. Sometimes we end up with something better. Other times, we get totally off track. And other times, we’re expected to make changes and move forward.
If you’ve had goals that ended up way different from your expectations, you don’t have to give up. You just need to make different decisions, re-calibrate, and change strategies. These are some of the things you’ll learn in the Goal Setting for Peak Performance class.
You’ll identify your main goals for 2019, create an action plan for achieving them, and learn how to use 90-day planning to keep track of your goals. This system comes in quite handy when your goals take a tangent of their own.
Does this interest you? Click this link for more details.
