If you’re starting a business you’re probably searching for the the key to success. You have this bright shiny vision, you’re excited about making your dreams come true, and you’re looking for some magical secret to success that will get you from here to there with lightning speed. Sound familiar at all?
I’ve been working for myself for about a decade now and there is just one key to success that I’ve found. Okay, I’ve found many important success factors, and the point of this Category of posts is to share what I’ve learned. There is one key to success that rules them all, so it seemed fitting to share it first. Without further ado, it is:
“Never give up… Never surrender!”
This quote is from one of my all-time favorite movies, Galaxy Quest. It is Commander Taggart’s catchphrase, tagged (pun intended) onto every motivational speech he gives the crew. Now, you might be rolling your eyes that this is some motivational, pump-you-up cliché. Well, it’s not. That is not my style. It’s more like a
Hold on to your bum, Bright Eyes, and brace for the roller-coaster ride of your life!
…kinda speech. You see, starting, owning and running a business is exactly what you think it is. And more. It’s the MORE part that catches people by surprise, and stops many dead in their tracks. It’s the MORE part we never see coming. We don’t know how to deal with it and so many people give up on their dream. “Never give up” is not a cliché, it is the most important message you’ll need to hear throughout your career.
Why is it the most important key to success?
Because for 99.99% of people, starting a business is not going to go the way you imagine. Situations arise. Obstacles show up. Unforeseen hurdles pop out of nowhere to trip us up. People don’t act how we want. New clients don’t show up out of oblivion waving cash in our face. We may face times where we don’t think we can handle any more. In fact, the obstacles may even overwhelm us. Motivation may fail. Our dreams may not seem worth it anymore.
So, despite all the other success factors out there, this is why this key to success is the most important. Whatever struggles we face, “Never give up! Never surrender!” is the message that will kindle and inspire us. It will keep us going. My hope in building the Web Ninja Community is that we will be a group of intrepid spirits who can encourage each other through difficult times.
How do you define “failure”?
Thomas Edison said about inventing the light bulb: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” On the same subject, he said: “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
You see, Edison had a vision. A dream. It was bigger than just a light bulb. It was about lighting the world — literally. You have a dream. Your purpose in life and business is to light the world with your dream, your vision. You’ve got to give it all you’ve got. That means:
- Learn what you need to learn
- Adapt to new circumstances
- Let go of the small stuff
- Keep taking steps…
…and many more success factors. And we’re going to talk about those soon. For now, whatever stage you are at with your business, remember this all-important key to success.
I define failure as “giving up”. Your business idea might fail. Your whole business might go under. But it’s never failure until you’ve given up on your dream. Because until you do that — until you give up on your dream — you still have a chance. Once you give up, all your chances for success are gone. You see, it’s going for your dreams and giving it all you’ve got that I define as success. Even if you died never fully realizing your dream you are still a success! Because you gave it all you had.
Going for your dreams takes courage, heart. It takes faith in yourself and your purpose in life. And what is the point of being human, really, if we don’t take the giant leaps our heart desires. So, here is to your success. Here is to every lesson you learn. Here is to hanging in there when the odds are against you or when you feel like giving up.
More coming soon. And if you haven’t seen Galaxy Quest — do. It’s awesome 🙂
Here’s to your success!
~PJ
