EP 233 Embracing Failure: Learning and Growing from Setbacks in Business
===
[00:00:00] Welcome to the bold goal crusher podcast for anyone looking to stop letting life get in the way and start crushing bold goals. I'm your host, Sara Mayer, and I'm thrilled to navigate this journey with you because it's time to start boldly achieving without working double time. So let's dive in.
Sara Mayer: Hello, bold goal crushers. I hope you're having a great day today. I'm excited. We're going to continue this little business series because you guys are loving it. So why not continue? And we're going to talk about embracing failure, learning and growing from setbacks in business, but I also think it applies whether you own your own business or you're working a nine to five job or creating a [00:01:00] side hustle.
Sara Mayer: No matter what you do, there are going to be setbacks or obstacles you need to overcome when achieving your goals. And if you're watching me on YouTube, please hit that subscribe button. If you're not watching me on YouTube, just so you know, if you want to see me, I also have a YouTube channel. So I'm very excited about that.
Sara Mayer: Anyway, there are setbacks. all the time. And so what happens when we start, and the reason I brought up YouTube is because I'm using my finger to explain this, but the reason that we, what happens when we set goals is we're very excited. We get really excited. And so the energy is really high and We just feel like, Oh, we're going to be able to do this and it's going to be great.
Sara Mayer: And all these things. So there's a lot of energy around setting that bold goal. And I hope there's a lot of energy around it, because if you're setting bold [00:02:00] goals, the way that I've taught you, or the way that we've talked about, it's really about. recognizing that there's for the real, the really big things, the things that are really important.
Sara Mayer: There's really no timeline. It's not Oh, I'll accomplish this in a year or I'll accomplish this in five years. Our big goals may take a long time. So I want to take a step back to that excitement because if there's not excitement around your goal, it's probably not big enough. You're probably playing it safe.
Sara Mayer: And I always use this example. Of one of my clients who wanted to serve on a national board and I won't get into her why or all that stuff, but. When we started to break down this goal, we realized it, she was starting from the beginning. This is her long term goal, a big, bold goal. And when we started to talk about what it's going to take to achieve that goal, there were things because she'd seen the application or she saw the call [00:03:00] for qualifications and all this stuff, the nominations and the qualifications, there were things on there serve on a local board.
Sara Mayer: And, Work on various different types of board committees, like fundraising, impact finance, different things like governance. And she hadn't done any of those things. She knew that she loved volunteering and she knew that she loved this organization and she ultimately wanted to serve on the board. So there were things that she needed to put in, needed to put into play years before she would even be.
Sara Mayer: Qualified to serve on the board. Now, I'm not saying that you need to be perfect or do everything before you put yourself out there, because I know many of us wait until we're overly qualified to even put ourself out there. But for her, we knew that some things needed to be put into place. And so that bold goal had a lot of excitement.
Sara Mayer: And it was dreamy and it was [00:04:00] big, but we didn't put a timeframe on it. And the reason when we set smart goals and we put a timeframe on it, as we get closer to that timeline, if we're not going to meet it, it sucks the energy out of that goal and there should be a lot of energy when it comes to setting goals and many of the things take many years.
Sara Mayer: And some of the things that you're trying to achieve really are out of your control. There's some subjective elements to it. So we set the goal, serve on this board. And then when we got into the objectives, which the objectives are how you're going to do it, the steps you're going to take, these are your tasks, those had timelines.
Sara Mayer: So she would apply for this local board and she would. Serve on that local board. And those were the steps. And so there was a lot of excitement around this goal. And of course, when we set goals, you do it the same way to you set a goal. There's a lot of excitement, but then there are [00:05:00] things that get in the way.
Sara Mayer: or obstacles, roadblocks, things that may stop you, speed bumps from the momentum of achieving that goal. And for example, you may have this goal and then you find out you just don't know how to do something that you need to do to achieve the goal. You still are very excited about the goal, But you find out you don't know how to do something.
Sara Mayer: And so then you try and learn it and it's a little more frustrating or somebody tells you no, or you're creating a business and you realize somebody else has the name that you fell in love with. And those little bumps are bumps in the road. And then what happens is high excitement and then it starts to drop a little, maybe you plateau first and then it starts to drop a little because you have all these speed bumps.
Sara Mayer: And this is what I call quitter's valley because you set the goal, you're super excited. You may be plateau and then now you're going down. You're not as accomplishing as [00:06:00] much anymore. And this is the valley that a lot of people quit. Quitter's Valley. And it happens in business. It happens when you're trying to set a goal of starting a business, when you're working in a business, when you just have this dream of yours for life.
Sara Mayer: Quitters Valley. Is a really not fun place because what happens is it seems like it's piling on no after no, or setback after setback. And many people quit. Many people quit. They're quitting right before they're about to have a major breakthrough or come back on that upswing. Or they pivot their idea.
Sara Mayer: Without really needing to. And so there is power in the pivot, as we know, that's how Ross and them got that couch through the stairs or whatever, but on friends, but sometimes [00:07:00] when we're. Setting these big goals and we have these obstacles, the pivot isn't necessary and the quitting isn't necessary.
Sara Mayer: It's really about trying to find another way because most of the time when you're starting a business, when you're working in a business, somebody else has already done what you're trying to do and they already figured it out. So reaching out to those people to help get you through Quitter's Valley is what will help you go from your goal excitement down this little valley.
Sara Mayer: There's going to be bumps and setbacks and turns back up into goal achievement. And sometimes that little valley is really long and sometimes that valley is really short, but it's easy to get discouraged. So when you have a setback, when you're creating your business or you're working in your business, I want you to take a step back and I want you to remember [00:08:00] why you're setting this big goal.
Sara Mayer: And I want you to remember the excitement around When you first set that goal and that's why it's so important for you to reflect along the way, but also journal along the way, because you'll be able to look back and see everything you overcome to achieve that goal when you achieve it. So it's super critical when you're getting in these setbacks to really go back to your why and to generate and breathe some life into the excitement of the goal.
Sara Mayer: And to think about who might be able to help you, is there a course or a podcast, a mentor you can bring on? Is there someone that will be able to get you past this setback? And maybe it's about launching instead of pivoting. It's about mini launching. So sometimes our goals are all or nothing. Like for example, your goal may be [00:09:00] to have a business that makes a certain amount of But what if you can create The first step of your business and you create that and it makes a certain amount of money and then you build on that.
Sara Mayer: And so sometimes it's about reworking these objectives, even though they still lead to that bigger goal. And that's why I encourage you not to set smart goals because quite frankly, when you get so specific on a goal. If you don't achieve it or it changes along the way because of circumstances, because you learn something and you realize, Oh, now I know why I shouldn't have this as a goal.
Sara Mayer: It's really deflating. It makes us feel like a failure. I had this really specific goal and I didn't achieve it by five years. I didn't do exactly that. And so that's why we want to keep our goals super dreamy. I will build a business that I love that allows me to do this. And [00:10:00] now I'll work on those objectives.
Sara Mayer: First step, create the business, check it off, use those objectives as tasks rather than the goal. They're not the destination, but they are a reason to celebrate. So when you hit those speed bumps, really think about how can this be a little step on my journey towards a bigger goal, or who can help me get through this?
Sara Mayer: And also how can I celebrate everything that I've overcome? So I just love this topic of goals. You all know that. And I love that many of you have a goal to start your business. If you haven't checked out my free resources, if you're looking to start a business or you are already have a business or side hustle, and you want some weekly reflection prompts, I have a checklist on how to start a new business.
Sara Mayer: And I also have a weekly reflection for business owners on my website. So go to sarahmayer. com slash [00:11:00] free tools and resources. All right. Bull goal crushers. It's time to crush your goals. Let's get to it because you can crush your goals and everything that gets in the way without working double time.
Sara Mayer: Thank you for tuning into the bold goal crusher podcast where we crush goals and everything that gets in the way. I always love to support my community. Thanks for tuning in.
Sara Mayer: I look forward to seeing you crush your goals this year.
