{"id":5679,"date":"2013-06-03T09:05:14","date_gmt":"2013-06-03T13:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iheartblank.net\/old\/?p=5679"},"modified":"2017-11-21T23:24:24","modified_gmt":"2017-11-21T23:24:24","slug":"keep-failing-its-good-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iheartblank.net\/old\/keep-failing-its-good-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Failing…It’s Good For You"},"content":{"rendered":"

The idea of failing<\/strong> can be scary for a lot of people. \u00a0Failing in business<\/strong> can be extra<\/em> scary and carry extra<\/em> consequences<\/strong>. \u00a0It can be scary when you’ve invested your money in something and can potentially lose it. \u00a0It can be scary when you think about the amount of time you’re not<\/em> spending with family and friends, that you’ll lose. \u00a0It’s reasons like this that it took me over three years to start my own business. \u00a0Not being sure if I’m going to be broke in 6 months or if I’m going to flush any money I’ve saved right down the toilet makes it even worse. \u00a0I’ve seen businesses take out second mortgages on their house just to keep their business open…and still fail!<\/p>\n

That’s a big risk. \u00a0But plenty of people take the risk to open their business but are still controlled by their fear and let that fear run their business. \u00a0While failing<\/strong> can have bad consequences<\/strong>, being paralyzed by fear<\/strong> can have far worse<\/strong> consequences. \u00a0Fear can make us not <\/strong>take the chances we should be taking…those ‘chances’ we’re\u00a0not\u00a0<\/strong>taking can make us fail just as easily. \u00a0I’d be like if you had a hole in a boat and you didn’t want to try to fix it because you were afraid you were going to make the hole bigger. \u00a0Guess what? \u00a0Your boat is still<\/strong> going to sink!<\/p>\n

Failure Is Strength<\/h2>\n

What does any failure\u00a0ultimately\u00a0do for you? \u00a0It helps you grow<\/strong>…so long as you’re willing<\/strong> to learn from it. \u00a0If you’re going to be bitter<\/em> and discouraged<\/em> about it then you’re letting failure defeat you<\/strong>. \u00a0That’s no bueno<\/strong>. \u00a0You’ve just learned one way to not\u00a0<\/strong>do something. \u00a0Do you know useful that information really is? \u00a0What the hell do you think the scientific method<\/a>\u00a0is based on?! \u00a0It’s up to you to see failure as a strength.<\/p>\n

You can look at failure as a choice to know how\u00a0not<\/strong> to do things when it really matters. \u00a0It wasn’t too long ago that I was doing some radio ads<\/strong> and realized that I overpriced<\/strong> the product. \u00a0I left the ad’s on the air for 13 weeks<\/strong> and got no calls. \u00a0Why? \u00a0Because I had priced my product too high. \u00a0So, while I did still get my name out there, I could have spent my advertisement more wisely<\/strong>. \u00a0Was it the end of the world? \u00a0Not really. \u00a0We always want to get the best return on our investments, but it doesn’t always happen. \u00a0I’ve quoted him before but the great John Wannamaker<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>once said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.”<\/strong> <\/em>\u00a0John Wannamaker<\/strong> understood the value of failure<\/strong>, or in his case ineffective advertising<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

99u<\/strong><\/a> actually agrees with me in an article titled “Why You Should Give Yourself Permission To Screw Up”<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>which focus’ on ‘continuously striving to go beyond our comfort zones if we want to be successful.’<\/em> \u00a0\u00a0 They go on:<\/p>\n

So how can you motivate yourself to approach new challenges with confidence and energy, without fear of making mistakes?\u00a0 The answer is simple, though perhaps a little counterintuitive:\u00a0 Give yourself\u00a0permission to screw-up.<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Failure Is\u00a0Inevitable\u00a0– It’s How You Deal With It<\/h2>\n

Sorry, but it is. \u00a0Failing is a part of life and many times you have to look at it as a strength not a weakness. \u00a0I’m reminded of one of my favorite\u00a0Gorilla Biscuits<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0song’s called\u00a0‘First Failure<\/a>‘<\/strong>. \u00a0<\/em>Here’s some of it:<\/p>\n

When you’re sick of trying, how can you expect to succeed? I can’t recall my first failure, and I’ll forget this one too, overtime. \u00a0And if you’ve been let down and if it’s not the first time, cheer up, it will hurt much less tomorrow. We’re all tired of [ cuss word ] up\u00a0and that’s not just being sorry. \u00a0It means\u00a0brush the dirt off, get up and try again.<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0GORILLA BISCUITS – FIRST FAILURE LYRICS<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Take the negatives<\/strong> and turn them into positives<\/strong>. \u00a0Whenever you fail<\/strong> all you’re really doing is taking a step in the right direction<\/strong>. \u00a0When you were a kid and you learned how to ride a bike or tried skateboarding for the first time. \u00a0Did you give up and stop<\/strong> after you fell off for the first time? \u00a0Hell no!<\/strong> \u00a0You just learned not to make that stupid mistake again<\/strong>. \u00a0See the parallels? \u00a0Do you see why life isn’t about being afraid of failing. \u00a0You’d live it fruitlessly<\/strong>, never learning how to do a cut-jump<\/strong> or bunny-hop<\/strong>. \u00a0And if you don’t believe me, I’ve got some other examples of people who failed\u00a0a lot<\/strong> and still came out on top. \u00a0This time I’ll quote Henry Ford<\/strong> who said, “Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Company Failures<\/h2>\n

Now while most of these companies have waaaaayyyyy more money<\/strong> than you or I, it\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>important to remember that you have scaled (or parallel) risks<\/strong> and opportunities<\/strong> for failure<\/strong>. \u00a0You making a decision not to carry a new product<\/strong>, open a new location<\/strong> or something simpler<\/strong> can be compared to some of these companies launching an international product<\/strong> that’s a complete disaster<\/strong>. \u00a0We’ll go over some companies that pushed through and one that gasping for their last breath.<\/p>\n

McDonald’s<\/h3>\n

McDonald’s<\/strong> has come out with some pretty outrageous products over the years. \u00a0I found one article from Business Insider<\/strong><\/a> that highlighted 12 McDonald’s products that have failed miserably<\/a>. \u00a0The list includes:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \"mcdonalds<\/a>McLobster<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. McGratin Croquette<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Hula Burger<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. Pizza & McPizza<\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. McSpaghetti<\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. McAfrika<\/strong><\/li>\n
  7. Arch Deluxe<\/strong><\/li>\n
  8. McHotDog<\/strong><\/li>\n
  9. McDLT<\/strong><\/li>\n
  10. McLean Deluxe<\/strong><\/li>\n
  11. Big N’ Tasty<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    McDonald’s<\/strong> probably spent a lot of money pushing out these products. \u00a0While there probably should have been someone to stop them on the McAfrika<\/strong>, I think failure is something that McDonald’s<\/strong> understands. \u00a012 failed product<\/strong>s over the span of about 15 years<\/strong> (unless I don’t know how to do math.) \u00a0That’s almost a failure a year!<\/strong> \u00a0To think about the money they must have spent. \u00a0Damn. \u00a0McDonald’s still remains to be one of the biggest (if not the<\/strong> biggest) hamburger joint in the country.<\/p>\n

    But think about if one of those products ‘hit it big.’ \u00a0How much potential revenue could that make for the company? \u00a0Maybe enough to support (at least) 12 failures?<\/p>\n

    Any Television Network<\/h3>\n

    We were just talking about McDonald’s<\/strong> and the potential of a ‘big hit.’<\/strong><\/em> \u00a0I immediately thought of every major television network<\/strong> and their pilots<\/strong>. \u00a0I did a little recon so I wouldn’t be completely talking out of my butt and found that major networks order about 20 pilots each<\/a>. \u00a0About 6 make it to air. \u00a0To me, everyone’s looking for the next Seinfeld<\/strong>, Scrubs<\/strong> or Friends<\/strong>. \u00a0They want that one show that can last 8+ seasons and be a cash cow<\/strong>…and I don’t<\/strong>\u00a0necessarily\u00a0think that’s a bad thing. \u00a0You might never get to see a show that turns into one of your favorites<\/strong> if the major networks<\/strong> didn’t have that cash cow<\/strong> so they could take chances on other shows.<\/p>\n

    Now I’m sure there’s corruption and greed with major networks<\/strong>, but I like the philosophy of the idea<\/strong>. \u00a0You cannot find\/create the perfect product (or service) unless you fail along the way.<\/strong> \u00a0Sometimes a lot. \u00a0Which brings us to our next business.<\/p>\n

    Apple<\/h3>\n

    For some people (read: Fanboys) Apple<\/strong><\/a> can do no wrong. \u00a0Everything is perfect and their products all just ‘work together<\/em>.’ \u00a0I hate to admit it, but that’s the result of Apple’s great advertising (I believe it was the colored iMacs.) \u00a0Apple has failed. \u00a0A lot. \u00a0Some could argue that earlier products were a result of bad management right before Steve got booted out of Apple, but I would beg to differ, because Steve continued to do it after his return in 1997. \u00a0This certainly isn’t to take away from Jobs’ genius or work ethic. \u00a0In fact, that’s the whole reason that Apple is on this list. \u00a0Through all failures, they were just trying to get it right! \u00a0I could probably go off for an hour about Apple (good and bad) not to mention Microsoft. \u00a0So let’s get to this list. \u00a0While doing a quick internet search I found three sites that featured failed Apple products:<\/p>\n