The Point of Success or Failure. That Difference between us!

That point of do you succeed or fail. What is the difference? You know, that place that some people move across the finish line and accomplish dreams, push their causes, and find their passion in action and for others it becomes an insurmountable wall. What is it that allows some to cross the line and find the energy to move forward to a fulfilled destiny? It would be great to bottle this and allow the rest of us to drink from the fountain. How do people from the same household, taught the same things, encouraged to success equally, still have different outcomes. It is obvious in some cases and of course the environment you grow up in plays a part. But even in the direst of situations, there are people that overcome the odds and achieve greatness.

I’ve always considered myself an idea man. I’m great at coming up with an idea or finding a solution, but I generally like to hand off the actual act of follow-through to someone else. This, in itself, generally means I will never receive the credit. In my work, I was successful in turning this action into a thirty-seven plus years career. I found myself becoming a motivational outlet for those that I either assigned the work to or through encouragement got them to follow through on a thought. I was good at it too. But I always wanted to be that person that could take my own idea and take the risk to follow-through to fruition. To see an idea from start to finish.

I started making notes years ago of my ideas. I felt disappointment numerous times as I would hear someone else had actually accomplished what I dreamed of doing. One of my more significant ideas came about from an overcooked turkey in my early twenties. We laughed about having made turkey jerky. We talked about making it for real, but like so many times it was an idea not followed through. Several years later, and I still think due to the telling of others of my idea, we eventually saw it on store shelves. Thirty-five years later, we still see it available. I think it took a couple of years because there weren’t the social platforms there are today. In today’s world, I might have posted on Facebook and the word would spread and potentially have gone viral and the idea would have taken less than a few months to hit the grocers.

Don’t get me wrong, there have been plenty of times that I have thought of an idea and with google available to tell you whether you are original or not, I would often times realize my idea was months if not years behind in development. Many of my ideas died on the vine this way, sometimes I would divert to an offshoot idea and I would sit on it yet again until someone else would discover the same thought and actually take the risk and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment.

Risk, that is the real difference I think, the ability to take the risk without thought of failure or at the very least not letting failure rule the start even though it might be the outcome. I feel I am ruled in large part by not wanting to fail more than my belief in myself that I can succeed. I have the ability, I know that without question, it is just taking that step across the line into the risk territory that is terrifying. I always told myself that when I retired, my excitement about the possibility of doing something that I could build from the ground up would be my career to the end. I still have that idea, but here I am still thinking about it more than a year beyond retirement and I tell myself that I just haven’t found that one thing that my passion could get behind and drive across the finish line. The reality, I’m just as nervous about failure as ever. When did complacency become winning or success? The answer is never, it is a failure, but a safe failure that I never had to admit too. How do some cross the line into risk and not worry about the outcome in being good or bad? I certainly don’t have the answer, if I did, I’d be teaching you instead of writing an article riddled with doubt.

I had a conversation recently with my oldest and dearest friend about his son who is a musician on the cusp of success. But, in my mind he has been successful from day one because he is trying, believing in himself, and although a struggling artist, keeps moving forward with his songwriting and living out his dream. I have no doubt eventually he will get that break in the business, as many do, following many years on the scene of discovery, he will be called a new artist breakout. Reality is that the only breakout moment is when people really started to listen in mass instead of the growing inner circle of admirers he worked so hard to reign in. It will probably only take one person, the right person, to hear him, sign him, and set his long journey into a new found discovery.

I saw on “The Today Show”, the other morning, on “the day of the girl”, and saw one young inspirational girl after another. They all had something they felt passion for and were moved to make a difference. For me, ideas don’t always revolve around finance or business outcome to be success, I truly feel that we all have so much to offer in a charitable way to those less fortunate. Is that success? Of course it is. I’d love to teach, but what would give me the platform for others to listen. Usually this involves tooting your own horn, and I don’t want to do that. Would I like recognition for things I do? Sure, but really just in a way to advance whatever passion it is that I got behind. Anyway, these kid girls all made it look so easy. Maybe because they are so young that they don’t have anything to lose and therefore nothing is a risk. I should hope that each of them, as a result of this success now, will struggle less with failure later on. But maybe they’ll be chasing rainbows forever looking for that early success time and again. Some would probably find it, but I suspect the others will taste defeat more often than not. Will that defeat be the death grip on success? Maybe, but lets hope not.

I’ve always had the idea of creating a business that a portion of profits would go to charitable donations for a cause. There are plenty that I could be passionate about and I know Jen would help to drive me over the edge of self-reluctance, but my impulse is strong not to fail. I tell myself I would love to write. But I think, who wants to hear what I have to say or what are my credentials that give me credence? What about an administrative business that provides hands on promotion to those wanting a foundational resource manager for their cause and not just some online post that allows others to contribute to your cause. How many times have we seen these turn out to be really a self-interest promotion and the money never reaches those it was stated to help? A business with creditable outcomes that would allow those idea people to not have to focus on the paper-work side of a charity and purely put their energy into what mattered to them in the first place, their passion. I’ve always wanted to start a business that would draw in my kids to help build the business and move it forward generationally into long-term success. My son Troy has always wanted to create a jerky company with my jerky, I even have the name of it, logo, and marketing figured out. I’ve always thought that it would be fun, but until recently I never could put my finger on what it would look like. Now, I can see it right down to the detail of how the bag would look and the varieties that we could produce. I even know how to take it there and I want too, but still am reluctant due to risk and ever looming failure in my head. I know if I ask Jen to help push me, that we would get there and I also know the success would never be what I wanted without her backing and help.  This has been my number one business idea for a long time. What would it take to be different from others that have the gimmick for success in the jerky business? I’m not sure, but I have an idea that it is drive to build on a large scale and not get trapped into small success. Like my friend’s son, continue to dream big and move forward if for no other reason but to get the thought out of their head that there is nothing else to move forward to.

Jen and I are looking for the difference in out move to Texas outside of the care and reconnection with my parents and family in Texas. I really need to trust in the fact that we will actually make a difference and change lives. Those lives, through a charitable foundation, that we can touch and make a difference and bring our family along for the ride. The point of difference where I put aside my fears and reluctance and take a chance on me, us, and our future. As Nike shoe company say, “Just do it!”. I did move forward on one thing, writing for my own blog. It came down to the fact that I can do for nothing more than the cathartic pleasure of doing something. Whether I ever try to make money or not is not the point, under my breath I’m just proud of myself for moving forward and not getting bogged down in failure of not trying. I really want to drink from the cup of success for myself, but the struggle is real, with disappointment around every corner. My real success is slapping me in the face, I just keep brushing it aside. I’m still finding lessons in life, is that my only reality? Those that I see as successful for one reason or another, probably still have the same emotional leg irons to success as I do. Yep, that is probably the truest thing I have said, but the difference is they have found the key!