Today it's my pleasure to introduce a friend and mentor, Cathy Forsythe. Cathy is an inspiration to all of us. She's amazingly talented, one of those Millionaire Women Nextdoor. Through her constant attention to 'what she wants,' Cathy is a trailblazer in thinking and action. With smarts more than money, she's creating a legacy.
Enjoy-- Chris
“A coward dies a thousand deaths, a hero only dies once.” -- The Art of War by Sunzi
Failure is not sexy. It is necessary. Failure’s not much fun either. But more often than not, it is the catalyst to greater things. Don’t fear failure, that just makes it worse, more stressful. Instead, embrace it, knowing that this is the first step to greater things in your life.
Think of failure as a crouching tiger. As the tiger gets ready to launch in a fury of power, he crouches. That means going in the opposite direction he plans to jump, going downward. In crouching, the tiger lowers his haunches to the ground, gathering his power. Then, with a huge burst of energy, he launches himself into an incredible leap.
This is a perfect analysis of failure. Maybe by failing, you were simply moving something out of the way that no longer belongs in your life. Maybe you are making room for something truly fabulous.
Reevaluate what you consider the failures in your past. Sometimes it takes a little creative thinking, but by looking back, I usually see that a failure has eventually turned into something wonderful.
I recently had to close a business that had been in the family for thirty years. My father had started the business, then entrusted it to me, planning to use some of the income from that business to support his retirement. The business grew and prospered for fifteen years. Then, the competition started to move in, the chains got closer and business started to drop. I fought the good fight for almost five years before it became apparent that I wasn’t going to win. After many discussions, much agonizing, and more sleepless nights than I can to count, the decision was made. The time had come to close the business.
It’s bad enough that this was my main source of income. I also felt as if I had let so many others down, including my parents, four employees, and customers who had been with us since the beginning. The guilt and the stress weighed on me as I dealt with selling off inventory, laying off employees, eliminating store fixtures, canceling accounts, and saying good bye to old friends.
I had been fortunate enough to have made some plans years earlier that were beginning to pay off. And my parents were finding ways to get along without the income. Several things happened in amazing order and now I am able to look back at this experience with wonder. I have since bought two new businesses, gaining a new, enthusiastic business partner, I sold the building the family business was in for a nice monthly income, and life has started sending new opportunities my way.
Closing the business was crouching, and some days it felt like I would never get to the bottom. However, the leap that followed has brought me a new zest for life. I get up every morning, eager to see what adventures the new day might bring, because in many ways, the adventures are coming faster than I can absorb them all. By accepting this supposed failure and moving through it with grace and gratitude, I believe I am manifesting a new flow of abundance in my life.
Believe in yourself, believe in the synchronicity of the Universe, but most of all, believe in the power of failure. It is simply the next step in the grand adventure called life.
Cathy Forsythe
Enjoy-- Chris
“A coward dies a thousand deaths, a hero only dies once.” -- The Art of War by Sunzi
Failure is not sexy. It is necessary. Failure’s not much fun either. But more often than not, it is the catalyst to greater things. Don’t fear failure, that just makes it worse, more stressful. Instead, embrace it, knowing that this is the first step to greater things in your life.
Think of failure as a crouching tiger. As the tiger gets ready to launch in a fury of power, he crouches. That means going in the opposite direction he plans to jump, going downward. In crouching, the tiger lowers his haunches to the ground, gathering his power. Then, with a huge burst of energy, he launches himself into an incredible leap.
This is a perfect analysis of failure. Maybe by failing, you were simply moving something out of the way that no longer belongs in your life. Maybe you are making room for something truly fabulous.
Reevaluate what you consider the failures in your past. Sometimes it takes a little creative thinking, but by looking back, I usually see that a failure has eventually turned into something wonderful.
I recently had to close a business that had been in the family for thirty years. My father had started the business, then entrusted it to me, planning to use some of the income from that business to support his retirement. The business grew and prospered for fifteen years. Then, the competition started to move in, the chains got closer and business started to drop. I fought the good fight for almost five years before it became apparent that I wasn’t going to win. After many discussions, much agonizing, and more sleepless nights than I can to count, the decision was made. The time had come to close the business.
It’s bad enough that this was my main source of income. I also felt as if I had let so many others down, including my parents, four employees, and customers who had been with us since the beginning. The guilt and the stress weighed on me as I dealt with selling off inventory, laying off employees, eliminating store fixtures, canceling accounts, and saying good bye to old friends.
I had been fortunate enough to have made some plans years earlier that were beginning to pay off. And my parents were finding ways to get along without the income. Several things happened in amazing order and now I am able to look back at this experience with wonder. I have since bought two new businesses, gaining a new, enthusiastic business partner, I sold the building the family business was in for a nice monthly income, and life has started sending new opportunities my way.
Closing the business was crouching, and some days it felt like I would never get to the bottom. However, the leap that followed has brought me a new zest for life. I get up every morning, eager to see what adventures the new day might bring, because in many ways, the adventures are coming faster than I can absorb them all. By accepting this supposed failure and moving through it with grace and gratitude, I believe I am manifesting a new flow of abundance in my life.
Believe in yourself, believe in the synchronicity of the Universe, but most of all, believe in the power of failure. It is simply the next step in the grand adventure called life.
Cathy Forsythe
3 comments:
I'm sorry to hear about your business. My brother is experiencing a similar situation. He wants to sell his business because it's not getting any better and he doesn't want to shut down completely. The trouble is that he isn't sure how to go about doing it. Would you have any suggestions?
@Jess-- check out your local Chamber of Commerce. They should be able to help you in your situation. I would also check out BizTrader.com. It's a global marketplace for small business where you can sell, buy, and/or invest in a business. They also have good prices to list on the website, which I think is what sets it apart from the other places. Good luck!
Jess...sorry it took so long to see this. Does your brother have a good, solid business plan? Taking time to work "on" our business instead of "in" our business is a great place to start. Has he tried a discussion with an angel investor who could give good advice, as well as invest money?
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