What is success and what is failure?
Success means different things to different people. What one person may see as success, the next person may even see as failure.
Last week, I hosted the first The Business Connection networking event.
We had around 15 people sign up to attend.
I wanted the first event to burst on to the scene with a bang. 15 people probably didn’t add up to a bang, but it was OK.
Not a massive success, but not a failure either.
But on the morning of the event, the apologies started coming in from people who had booked but were no longer able to attend.
By the time I clicked the button to start the event we were expecting about 10 people. That little voice in my head that a big, fat fail was imminent was getting louder.
The event started and only six people turned up!
Nevertheless, we spent a very enjoyable hour chatting, introducing ourselves and our businesses to the other attendees and there was plenty of giggles and (inappropriate!) banter.
New connections
I met two people I hadn’t met before, and one of the attendees even said it was one of the best tenners she’d ever spent as she made a connection with someone who will be able to help her with something.
So, was that little (very loud!) voice in my head right? Was the event a success or a failure?
It certainly wasn’t the big bang I had hoped for, but after initially feeling a bit deflated, I’ve come away with a sense of pride and excitement.
Pride that I finally did it and actually held my first networking event, and excitement because it’s an acorn from which I hope a mighty oak may grow.
I have wanted to build a community for small business owners for years, but I have held myself back through fear of failure.
Stepping outside my comfort zone
I have always been worried about putting something out there for fear no one at all would come.
It was outside my comfort zone.
But I took the first step outside of that comfort zone and did it – and people did come.
So, now the ball is rolling I can build on that and start building the dream.
How can that be a failure?
Many of us judge ourselves based on expectations we put on ourselves or we see others “succeeding” and feel like we are falling short when we don’t measure up.
But we are all at different places in our journey and you can only progress on that journey if you put one foot in front of the other and take the first step, and the next…and the next.
If you are dithering about doing something because you fear you will fail, remember…Oh but my darling, what if you fly?
It's an acorn from which a mighty oak may grow
Tracey Sweetland – The Business Connection
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Author: Tracey Sweetland
Founder of The Business Connection and owner of Red Shoes Media and Marketing, supporting small business owners and helping small business to grow.