MADE MADE FEATURE XXXX INC
HOW TO FORGIVE YOURSELF FOR A
DISAPPOINTING BUSINESS YEAR
So , that 11-month-old list of business goals have more unchecked items instead of the other way around . You ’ re facing a new year with a fresh set of aspirations while the others are still waiting to come to fruition . Now what ? Avoid the self-loathing and dust yourself off . Here are a few ways to jumpstart the healing process after getting wounded by business failures this year .
Get up . Imagine going from a personal net worth of $ 3 billion to $ 0 because of poor planning . Bill Bartmann spent years building debt collection company , Credit Financial Services , from the ground up for years only to have it stripped away by the U . S . government after they determined one of his business partners was involved in illegal activity . Sounds like the perfect opportunity to wallow in selfpity , right ? Nah . “ We all stumble and fall ,” Bartmann said in an interview . “ Maybe I ' ve done it more cataclysmically than most . But you can learn so much if you open your eyes rather than blame everyone else and feel pity for yourself . You need to dust yourself off , turn around backwards , and learn what you could have done differently . When you can do that , big things can result .”
Once he was cleared of charges from the Feds , he took the devastating experience , called in some favors , wrote a book and started touring to share his comeback story . This is an extreme example , but at its core , the principle is applicable to anyone ’ s situation : Spend more time strategizing your future win than lamenting in your current failure .
Prep mentally for failure before it even happens . The best way to build a successful business from the bottom up is to fail fast . I know what you ’ re thinking . “ This sounds a lot like self-fulfilling prophecy ; If I think that my business will fail in advance , I can will it to happen .” There ’ s a big difference between thinking negatively and thinking realistically . By looking at your business through a truthful lens , it allows for the necessary contingency plans to be put in place for use when you need it most .
Don ’ t internalize the failure . As an entrepreneur , it ’ s easy to blame yourself for your business ’ s stagnation or regression . It ’ s like a mother blaming herself for her child acting out in class . Your business is your baby and if it doesn ’ t behave in the manner you raised it to , you can ’ t help but take full responsibility . But here ’ s the thing , you shouldn ’ t . It ’ s life and even more importantly , it ’ s just business . It has its ebbs and flows . Don ’ t self-criticize or regret taking the plunge into entrepreneurship . Take
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this time to critique the current circumstances and re-structure .
Own your mistakes . Although you shouldn ’ t take your business woes as a personal affront to your character , you do need to take responsibility for your missteps . Awareness and self-assessment are the keys to moving forward in the right direction after failing .
Have no idea where to start ? The Entrepreneur Equation is a New York Times bestselling book that provides “ a bevy of exercises and assessments to help you assess your personality vis-à-vis entrepreneurship , as well as your mindset , timing and the particular opportunity ,” says author Carol Roth . She has also put together an interactive online quiz to see how your personality could lead to certain wins or failures in your business .
Start again . After all is said and done , keep in mind that success is on the other side of any failure . Take the things you learned , devise a plan and operate from a place of awareness .
You ’ ve got this . Show 2017 who ’ s boss !