Christopher D. Connors's Blog, page 42

Thanks so much, Liz! Amen and thank you for this! Trying to live it every day!

Thanks so much, Liz! Amen and thank you for this! Trying to live it every day!

Joe Burkhart Thanks so much, Joe! Really appreciate the feedback!

Joe Burkhart Thanks so much, Joe! Really appreciate the feedback!

Thanks so much, Stephen!!

Thanks so much, Stephen!! The acceptance component of it, knowing that you have to digest it, then let it power you to what’s next is so huge for me. Keep moving forward!

Thanks so much, Bharat! Absolutely the case, isn’t it?

Thanks so much, Bharat! Absolutely the case, isn’t it?

How to Convert Your Setbacks into Powerful Building Blocks for Growth

“I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying.” Jeff Bezos

So, how did you get your start in this whole entrepreneurship thing? Was it your plan from day one, or did you kind of back into it, realizing through adversity, setbacks or maybe even failures, that you were destined to take the wheel of your own dream?

Whether you’ve just arrived and are yet to encounter difficulty, or perhaps you already know far too well what it’s all about, you’ll realize that professional success is about moving forward through challenging periods. The greatest entrepreneurs — and their businesses — have been shaped by setbacks, adversity, mistakes and even failures.

At the onset of any venture, we don’t have to worry about the bright lights shining on us and examining all of our test runs, trial and (many) errors, and certainly not worrying about having these exposed to the public.

And honestly, that’s a good thing. We can mess up, virtually, in private. We can make fools of ourselves, and even laugh at ourselves.

Once you become known all over the world, every move you make is under the microscope. Just ask Elon Musk.

Source: Wikimedia CommonsEntrepreneurial Titans

Elon Musk is a successful entrepreneur known for taking audacious chances to do things most people have never even dreamed of. He’s had both successes (Tesla), but also failures (Tesla) — see here. The point is, while his electric car company has been successful, he’s had to power through some embarrassing failures where many would have quit.

Billionaire Sara Blakely dealt with failure throughout her sales career, and even when she first began to pitch the nascent idea of what would become Spanx, to hosiery mills. She was turned away by each person she met with, but eventually, she found someone willing to work with her. It didn’t happen right away, but people did begin to realize the brilliance of her idea.

“My dad encouraged us to fail growing up. He would ask us what we failed at that week. If we didn’t have something, he would be disappointed. It changed my mindset at an early age that failure is not the outcome — failure is not trying. Don’t be afraid to fail.” — Sara Blakely

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Had it not been for her foundation in sales, going door-to-door selling fax machines (yes, before digital scanning apps these did exist!), she may have lacked the persistence to keep going. But she knew that every success she had earned was born from failure — from giving things a shot and hoping for the best. Safe to say, Sara Blakely made it to the top after growing from setbacks.

Peter Thiel co-founded PayPal and had massive success as an investor in Facebook, but also has the blemish of Clarium Capital to his name. If you don’t know, Clarium amassed more than $7 Billion worth of assets before losing more than 90% of its accumulation due to losses in the stock market, and on oil and currencies.

“You don’t want to be starting a business for the sake of it, but because there is a problem that cannot be solved in existing structures.” — Peter Thiel

But we don’t as much remember Thiel for the latter today, because he simply refused to let such a massive failure stop him. He aggregated his lessons learned from both successes and setbacks and used them to continue building his entrepreneurial structure for future victory.

The way to get to that point is to possess the unique willpower that is unafraid to fail, and determined to always give intelligent effort to try to succeed.

How to Keep Moving Forward

Accepting failure, acknowledging mistakes and withstanding setbacks in a mature, emotionally intelligent way actually seems counter-intuitive. Culturally, failure has always seemed embarrassing. Most of us don’t want to admit it. But the real strength is in owning your story so that you can have greater clarity and confidence, while putting less of the bad, undue kind of pressure on yourself for your next try.

Here are five powerful ways to continue moving forward on your journey:

1. Understand and know going in that everything won’t be a success.

Build and plan for success, but create an emotional awareness that setbacks will happen. It’s imperative to have a game plan in place that prepares you mentally and emotionally for how to efficiently manage that adversity so that you can stay productive while minimizing “down time”

What do I mean by that? If your mind is attuned to a positive, persistent approach, then the setbacks won’t last as long. You can have your “grieving time,” take your step back, learn from what you’ve experienced and then fuel your future growth based off those lessons learned.

2. Use your mental architecture to visualize success

This power of visualization, coupled with positive affirmation, will feed your subconscious and conscious mind and give you the fuel you need to take up the gauntlet each time. Eliminate doubt, anxiety and worry by visualizing yourself accomplishing your goals and connecting together the tasks that you need to satisfy your plan. Then, execute.

3. Celebrate every Win

In the same way that you self-examine, assess and use your setbacks to grow, take time to celebrate your wins, no matter how big or small. So many people simply dismiss “small” successes and take them for granted. Don’t get complacent, but positively affirm what you’ve done by boosting your energy and enthusiasm to propel you forward to the next big win.

Source: Pixabay4. Boost your expertise — self-learn and learn from the experts

We all need mentors in life. You may want to shield your million-dollar idea from the sharks, but you could certainly benefit from having a mentor that has been there, done that. You will learn so much more about the components of what it truly takes to scale and operate a high-functioning business from a mentor.

I’m talking about the often overlooked mental, emotional, spiritual and even physical daily growth that is required to keep pace with the innovation that you inspire through your work. Re-committing to your personal development — as well as the betterment of your employees — helps create buy-in and sustains energy to move forward from setbacks.

5. Learn a new skill that will make you more well-rounded

You may be the “idea person” at your company who everyone turns to for creativity, yet you haven’t yet mastered the “business-side” of what will make your start-up successful. Pick up a great business book like The Power of Habit or Good to Great and start reading.

Perhaps your thing is product, yet you don’t understand digital marketing. Sign-up for a course on any number of sites like Udemy or Coursera and get the basics. Network in your industry. You don’t have to become the expert, but it helps to have a basic foundation in all areas of your business.

Growth Steps

“The very first company I started failed with a great bang. The second one failed a little bit less, but still failed. The third one, you know, proper failed, but it was kind of okay. I recovered quickly. Number four almost didn’t fail. It still didn’t really feel great, but it did okay. Number five was PayPal.” Max Levchin, former PayPal CTO

It’s OK to fail. That’s how we learn. You’ll have the support, as well as sharing the kindred spirit, of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. As you progress, you’ll learn how to refine your approach and minimize future setbacks even as you take on more risk.

Failure should never, ever make you more averse to risk. In fact, it should only embolden you to take bigger chances, as long as they’re well-researched and intelligently planned. Don’t let failure stop you in your tracks. You still have a business to run.

Dr. Rita McGrath writes,

“ In a new business, failure becomes something you really want to be more tolerant of... but you want to create structures which protect and support the smaller, more experimental efforts, from the juggernaut of the ongoing business.” Source: HBR

The great irony in life is that those who succeed the most are the ones who have failed. What makes these entrepreneurs successful is that they refused to give up. Their failures actually strengthened their faith in themselves to persevere and work harder to make the next try an even better one. You have this same power. Let it guide you to greatness.

Like it? Hit that

Cutting Corners

Try if you’d like, but you’ll find there are no cutting corners.

All the “hacks” and “quick tips” and “secrets” won’t save you from the inevitable need to see your goals through to completion.

When you look over your shoulder (stop looking over your shoulder!) at the success of others, and you grow envious, remind yourself to run your own race.

*They* didn’t get there overnight.

As Lynda Weinman once said, “I’m a 20-year overnight success story.”

No one gets there overnight.

No one.

No one-hit wonder shows up in the recording studio one-day, and has a gold record the next.

No writer pens a bestseller by taking the easy way out.

No singer receives a standing ovation by faking it.

No business gets “raving fans” by selling out and compromising their values.

Even businesses that put their customers needs over their employees are doomed to fail. Now that is cutting corners.

There’s no half-written articles.

No almost-finished operas.

No half-baked marketing plan that doesn’t have a real “reason to believe.”

No personal brand that doesn’t have heart and soul.

There’s no worthy action without blind faith and real hope. You have to have blind faith. No false hope. Otherwise, why do you even care?

You can’t skip the third-quarter of a four-quarter game.

A project isn’t finished until everything has closed out.

You have to go “all in.” Deceive yourself all you want, but there’s no other way.

If you think you’re winning when you’re not living each moment with maximum attitude, effort and energy, then you’re mistaken.

The scoreboard of life says otherwise.

Going “all-in” means getting to the depth and roots of exactly why you’re doing, what you’re doing.

Going “all in” means that you have a game plan. You have clarity and determination.

You’re focused, man.

Going “all in” is leading from the heart — your heart. This is leadership at its finest. Going “all in” means there’s no shortcuts, no gimmicks, no B.S. excuses.

There really are no excuses. Eliminate them from your thoughts and vocabulary.

No excuses for others.

But most importantly, no excuses for yourself.

Going all-in means honesty, integrity and discipline. Then, there’s no cutting corners.

There are ways to become more efficient, and there are ways to improve to save your time, but ultimately you have to give your all to everything that you do.

So tell the quick-fix salesman and that cranky voice inside your head that you will not be sold on half-ass measure and unfinished solutions.

Look back to where you’ve been. Look inside you to where you are now. And look forward with optimism and joy in your heart.

Do it with all your heart- with the spirit of a warrior- and you will never regret.

Jeff Bezos’ 5 Most Important Principles for Success

“If you’re good at course correcting, being wrong may be less costly than you think.” — Jeff Bezos

Love him or hate him, Jeff Bezos is one of the greatest success stories in entrepreneurial history. The man saw a need for books to be sold online, then burst through the door and turned Amazon into something much, much bigger. Today, Amazon is ubiquitous and its digital footprint is among the largest on the Internet.

Jeff Bezos was able to build Amazon into a titan because he rooted the concept for his business in principles of success. Herein, I share the five principles that turned Bezos into a billionaire, and perhaps provided you with “free” 2-day shipping on everything from bestselling books to HD televisions.

1. Give it a Shot — even when it isn’t safe

“I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all. After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I’m proud of that choice.”

Jeff Bezos found himself at a career crossroads less than 10 years after college. Stay in the business world and play things safe at a high-paying job with a hedge fund, or go for it all, which meant his dream of an online bookstore. Bezos decided to pursue his dream, and the rest is history.

We find in life that we can play thing safe, or we can bet on ourselves and give it a shot, even when we don’t have a safety net. What’s amazing is the transcendent power of faith, hard work and grit that takes over when we have nothing to fall back on. All we need is some momentum and determination and we can do anything.

2. Recognize the importance of the choices you make. You’re always in control

…The difference between gifts and choices. Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy — they’re given after all. Choices can be hard. You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you’re not careful, and if you do, it’ll probably be to the detriment of your choices.”

We have the choice everyday to live by our values, or to fall victim to the numerous distractions that exist around us. If we have a clear game plan, which involves defining success and setting measurable goals, we just need to steel our mind to work hard and execute. We have that choice everyday, in both good times and bad.

3. Make the best, swiftest decisions

“Make high-quality, high-velocity decisions”

Bezos learned that if he ever wanted to get ahead in the rapidly evolving Internet age, he had to make quick, intelligent moves. One of his brilliant decisions was starting Amazon Web Services, then expanding further into advertising. Today, advertising accounts for nearly $10 Billion per year for the Seattle-based tech giant.

He could have stuck with the basics of selling goods, but Bezos saw the demand and the market for much more. He didn’t sit around. He struck while the iron was hot.

4. Be Stubborn, but Be Flexible

“If you’re not stubborn, you’ll give up on experiments too soon. And if you’re not flexible, you’ll pound your head against the wall and you won’t see a different solution to a problem you’re trying to solve.”

The balance of staying the course, while knowing when to modify your approach, is the genius of every great businesswoman or man. You have to believe in yourself. You have to stick to your guns. But you also must be willing to change and shift course, or time will waste you. Bezos has built Amazon into an empire because he has incorporated both stubbornness and flexibility into his arsenal.

5. Know Who You’re Really Working For

“The thing that motivates me is a very common form of motivation. And that is, with other folks counting on me, it’s so easy to be motivated.”

You’re always working for yourself, but you’re also working for the people that mean the most to you. When there’s no safety net, there’s greater motivation and need to move forward with expediency and efficiency. Always keep in mind the people you support (your family) and the people who work for you (your employees). Put their interests first, and you’ll have raving fans and customers.

There’s a lot to learn from Bezos’ life story and the success of Amazon. These five principles help provide the framework for how and why one of the world’s richest men is where he is today. You can implement these exact same principles into your life and find tremendous success.

You Can Do This!

Let me know how I’m doing and check me out on my website for more details on my work. My bestselling book, The Value of You will give you inspiration to start planning for success on your journey.

This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +409,714 people.Subscribe to receive our top stories here.

Jeff Bezos’ 5 Most Important Principles for Success was originally published in The Startup on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Only Voice

The Only Voice That Matters“Intuition is the whisper of the soul.” — J. Krishnamurti

I spend a lot of my time thinking about how to be positive in the present and to plan for success in the future. Conversely, I also spend time in thought on my vices — negatives that hold me back from being the best version of myself. Those voices can come (worst of all) from the voice inside our heads. When they do, it’s important that we reject them and think positively.

But the purpose of this piece is to target the “haters” that live to rob us of our joy. It’s remarkable how many people end up faltering or squandering time because they’re not vulnerable enough to trust their own voice, so instead they implicitly trust the negative voices of others.

I think about envy, which is the emotion of coveting another’s advantages or successes. Another form of envy is an overly self-conscious concern of what others think of us. Our worry of comparing ourselves to others- and trying to measure up to the skills and success of people in our environment- can be extraordinarily detrimental.

Envy can produce anger and, vice versa, when we get upset or perturbed by words said to us from a work supervisor, friend or classmate. Envy is the long road to ruin. We start on the path to envy when we abandon our self- control, moral good and altruism for jealousy and worse- a wish for the demise of others.

Once we are confident that we’re exercising self-control and discipline, we need to be on guard for those individuals or thoughts that aim to harm us. It’s easy to suggest that we should pay them no mind or ignore them completely, but unfortunately, life is not always that kind. Sometimes we have to deal with negative people (haters) or encroaching, tempting thoughts directly.

The Way to Silence The Haters

“Knowing yourself is to be rooted in being, instead of lost in your mind.” — Eckhart Tolle

The way to silence the haters or even the devil on your left shoulder is by properly analyzing your current situation with a clear mind. Assess all the positives and negatives. Don’t allow dishonest and self-deprecating thoughts from others to invade your mind. If the door is open, and they enter, make sure you kick ’em out and slam it shut with full force.

Reject them with an overwhelming belief that you are not buying what the negative voice is saying. This takes practice and self-coaching. It takes the power of auto-suggestion, when you allow yourself to speak to your subconscious mind with effort and persistence.

You will shun the negative voices through the power of your self-confidence, boosting your self-esteem and programming your mind to visualize your rebuttal. You must actually see yourself refusing to give in to negativity.

There is a major need to expunge any anger or frustration from our systems when we feel ourselves falling into negative thinking. The right way to do this is in a healthy, controlled environment, without adversely affecting people around you. Give yourself some time to vent, breathe out the negatives and then- suck it up! Keep a positive attitude.

The need to clear our mind is imperative for moving forward. Hold your head high and block out negative emotions by doing things that can drive change and improve your situation all around. As I’ve previously stated, smart, organized planning, highlighting goals and immersing yourself in an environment conducive to inspiration will help.

We all need allies and people to talk to who care about us and are willing to listen.

Build Your Self-Awareness

Be self-aware enough to refuse to give in to temptations and crutches that will only extend your unhappiness. Believe and will yourself back by your faith in knowing that you cannot do it all on your own. Turn anger on its head and use it to your advantage to fuel your negative moments by transforming them into your biggest comebacks.

I can assure that feeling sorry for yourself is a poor way to live. Self-pity is a dangerous space to dwell in, because it can perpetuate itself, and make you feel like the victim. Self-pity makes us look at all of our situations through a lens of bias, influencing us to accuse others, when we have no logical reason to assign blame to anyone else.

Sometimes, things in life that we experience don’t work out and there’s a reason for it: We are meant for something bigger and bolder. It’s extremely difficult to make sense of at the time, but it’s as sure as the sun’s rise in the east with each new day.

Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality — Abraham Lincoln

As the great Steve Jobs once said, “We cannot connect the dots going forward. We can only connect them looking back.” It’s hard to believe at the time but our greatest moments are often just ahead of us if we’re willing to commit, believe and persevere! In the meantime, tell the haters that try to bring you down- to shove it. You’re bold enough to do it.

Bere Blissenbach There’s no question about it — there is simply NO “one size fits all” approach…

Bere Blissenbach There’s no question about it — there is simply NO “one size fits all” approach when it comes to productivity and efficiency. What I do believe is that too many distractions are harmful. I’d also say that your friend must be VERY disciplined in her “deep work” time.

A lot of studies show that social media time ends up becoming much longer, distracted time. I’m really glad you brought this up. I spend a lot of time on Linked in, and I’ve found that it takes great discipline and rigor to toggle back and forth, as you said. Thanks for sharing and for reading!

This is fantastic, Michael! Loved reading this and found tremendous use and value. Great work!

This is fantastic, Michael! Loved reading this and found tremendous use and value. Great work!