Success is One Great Big Eraser

tip-o-the-morning

Tom Corley boats - crop

A lot of people think that success is an event. One magical, transformational event.

She or he was an overnight success. I’ve read crap like that in the media over and over again, and still do. For budding entrepreneurs out there, the expectation that you can become an overnight success plays havoc with their psyche when that expectation is not met.

It’s emotionally and psychologically hard to succeed in business. You have to overcome so many obstacles, hurdles, pitfalls and mistakes in the beginning. It’s no wonder that, according to the Small Business Association, 50% of new businesses fail in their first year.

When the pursuit of success fails to pay off immediately, many simply fold up their tents and quit. Most quit because they bought into the notion that overnight success is possible and, so, they are not prepared for the long, arduous journey that is the reality for most who pursue success.

In reality, success is not a linear climb. It’s more like monkey bars. Sometimes you are forced to move downwards, sometimes sideways and sometimes forward and up the monkey bars. Those downwards and sideways adjustments are frustrating and test your mettle. They drag you down emotionally. You lose confidence. You lose money.

But, with persistence as your partner, you eventually overcome those obstacles, pitfalls and mistakes and find yourself moving forward and up. You figure things out. And every time you figure out what to do and what not to do, you grow. Every time you are forced back on your heels, yet somehow survive, you grow and change. You begin to believe in yourself and you become more persistent, knowing that you can overcome most obstacles, pitfalls and mistakes.

When you do eventually succeed, it’s not some magically, singular event. It’s the culmination of many small successes in overcoming adversity. At the end of your journey, when you are standing at the top of the monkey bars looking down, you are a very different person than the person who started the climb. All of the negatives about you that existed prior to your climb, get washed away, like one giant eraser. You find yourself more confident, less insecure, mentally stronger, and forever grateful that you reached for that one monkey bar to begin your climb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thomas C. Corley About Thomas C. Corley

Tom Corley is a bestselling author, speaker, and media contributor for Business Insider, CNBC and a few other national media outlets.

His Rich Habits research has been read, viewed or heard by over 50 million people in 25 countries around the world.

Besides being an author, Tom is also a CPA, CFP, holds a master’s degree in taxation and is President of Cerefice and Company, a CPA firm in New Jersey.
 
Phone Number: 732-382-3800 Ext. 103.
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Comments

  1. A very great one.
    Thanks for sharing

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