Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
~ Winston Churchill
Most people are afraid of success.
We look at the achievements of others with a mixture of awe and jealousy, and silently remark to ourselves how we are not capable of such things.
But we are. The majority of “successful” people out there haven’t done anything that you aren’t capable of. Usually, they have just two advantages over you:
- They are not afraid to succeed. They are not afraid to try (and fail) until they get to where they want to be.
- They believe in their potential. They believe in themselves, even in face of multiple failures.
Do you know why success is so intimidating to so many? Because they look at step 100 without considering the fact that there were 99 incremental steps leading up to it. As M J DeMarco says, they see the event, not the process.
Did you know the first ever item to be sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer? The vast majority of first-time business endeavors have humble beginnings. It doesn’t mean that they can’t turn into something huge.
Remember this – success is always forward-looking. Success doesn’t dwell on the past. Success is incremental. If your first step is small, it doesn’t mean that it won’t lead to huge strides in the future. The important thing is to just keep taking steps.
If you take time to examine the process of a “successful” person, you will suddenly realize how success is almost always preceded by a cumulative process of endeavor. Something that we are all capable of.
And that is why success shouldn’t be intimidating. It is just a process.
Image courtesy of Carlos Blanco
Bon Crowder says
I’m sure you know about the 212 book – something along the lines of “the difference between hot water and boiling water is only one degree.”
Garbage, if you ask me. The real work is getting from 74 degrees (room temp) to 211 degrees.
If you merely look at going from really-freaking-good to super-great, then you neglect to see the rest of the “success process” – going from mediocre (or a complete failure) to really-freaking-good.
Thanks again, Tom, for the insight!
Tom Ewer says
Hey Bon,
I hadn’t heard of that but having read the synopsis on Amazon I can’t say I’m particularly impressed…I like how you’ve taken his published analogy and improved upon it 😉
Cheers,
Tom
Gregory Ciotti says
I just had to comment to say that I think this is an awesome analogy and I think you’re totally right, the big break doesn’t come until after you’ve made some sort of traction in the world and have made improvements to your work.
Rarely does something have a tipping point so big that it’s a true “overnight” success, 99% of the time there was major legwork going on behind the scenes before the big takeoff.
Steve Scott says
This is so true, as the old saying goes, “The road of a thousand miles starts with a single step”
Every path to success starts with humble beginnings, it is the ability to keep your eye on the prize and learn to learn and grow from your mistakes and stumbles that will that failure around to success.
Tom Ewer says
Hey Steve,
Always good to read your thoughts! That’s a good quote, I’m going to file that away 😉
Cheers,
Tom
Deacon Bradley says
Love this post Tom, and a timely reminder for me too! I’ve been working on a workshop for LifeStoked recently and frankly it’s been pretty intimidating. Lately I’ve been thinking that it’s because I put too much pressure on it to be “step 100” instead of a simple, lower-pressure workshop to get my feet wet with the material. It’s hard to find that line between “fear of failing” and really biting off more than you can execute with quality.
Lots to think about… thanks for the encouragement!
Tom Ewer says
No problem Deacon 🙂