Coaching,  Entrepreneurs,  Marketing

Decide That You Will Succeed & Then Do it!

Sitting here in Dallas at the Glazer-Kennedy Superconference I’m reminded what success really is… In fact, I just heard Joan Rivers speak and then met her afterwards.  What an inspiring woman. Not only is she funny, she’s also resilient and incredibly successful with her jewelry business. She has the biggest most successful jewelry business on television.

The lesson I learned from her today is that she had many failures along the way, and lost her husband (he committed suicide) because of these failures.  What I loved about Joan is that not only is she resilient, she always says a resounding “Yes” to her success. I love this because I’ve actually spent lots of time helping and working with clients to say yes and to achieve their goals, from creating great surveys to having successful product launches.

While these aspects are vital to the success of any business, what’s most vital is that first step: Deciding that you will succeed and then DOING it, taking action.

Believe it or not, this simple idea is one of the biggest roadblocks to success. People will start a business because they really want to achieve certain goals, whether personal or monetary. They lay their plans and they start executing those plans.

And all the while, they’ve still not decided that they can do it and that they’ll be successful! They treat their business like an experiment to find out if they will succeed. That’s opening the door to failure.

If you start a business, but haven‘t truly decided that you have what it takes to succeed, every obstacle becomes a roadblock. It becomes your excuse to give up and say, “Oh, well, I tried!”

If you’re going to start a new business, before you spend one cent, ask yourself a very important question:

“Can I do this?”

Consider the question honestly and seriously. Look at yourself and what you’re capable of, and then answer the question. If your answer is “Yes” (and I sure hope so!), then it’s time to get started.

Commit to your answer, dig in, and don‘t look back. Let go of the word “if” and embrace the word “when.” It’s no longer “If we make this goal.” It’s “When we make this goal,” and “when we succeed.”  After that, you’re just dealing with the how’s. That’s when you can find people like me to help.

In an earlier blog, I talked about how I almost gave up on my business. Times were tough, and I was exhausted. I promise you, if I had any major doubts about my ability to persevere, those doubts would have stopped me back then… and I’d be back in corporate America today.

There are many aspects of starting your own business. So many, it can be overwhelming, because they’re all important.

But to be honest, it starts with committing to the answer you give to one important question: “Can I do this.” …And then answering with a resounding “YES!”

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10 Comments

  • Rory

    Shannon –

    Thanks for the great reminder and story! There are definitely many “failures” along the path to success, and perseverance is a definite trait we all need to keep in mind along the way.

    Missed you in Boston at the latest GKIC meeting. 😉

    Rory

  • Rosemary Nickel

    What a great blog post Shannon!

    It is truly difficult to get past that simple yet large road block. It took me some time to say to myself…YES!!! Yes, I can do this!!

    My husband shared Joan River’s story with me this morning. Isn’t it amazing how perseverance can over come any obstacles. What a battle she has fought and won. Very inspiring indeed!

    Thanks for the inspiring post.

  • Shannon

    Hi Rosemary, Thanks! Really appreciate your sharing your experience and so glad your husband told you her story. I was really thrilled to be able to meet her and speak to her. She got me and my Mom through some difficult challenges earlier in life and laughter to her jokes was THE best medicine.

  • Colin Y.J. Chung

    That is so true! So many people throw mud halfheartedly on the wall just to see if something will stick. If there’s a minor success, they may move forward. (or not).

    That’s not how real success happens. You gotta stick your neck out and get ready to commit 100% and fail, even, only to pick yourself up and keep asking “when”, not if.

  • Richard

    Thanks Shannon! Great message to remember when times are slow.Helps to keep my mind on the right track.Yes I can!!!

  • Shannon

    Hi Richard, thanks for your comment! Isn’t it funny how sometimes the message we need is just SO simple, we forget… I’m one to try to complicate things and am working on simplicity. 🙂

  • Shannon

    Hi Colin, great meeting you in Dallas… and I totally agree how many people might view their business like checking to see if their pasta’s ready- they throw it on the wall and see if it sticks…

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