No matter how successful you are, in reality, you’re probably only about three to four decisions away from going all the way back to ground zero.
This is something that I think about constantly: What if my bank accounts were wiped out? What if my company went bankrupt? What if I had to completely start over?
Personally, I think I’d be okay.
I don’t say that with any arrogance. I say that because I have valuable assets that can’t be taken away from me because I’ve developed them over the years:
- The capabilities I’ve learned throughout my journey: I learned how to take my business from nothing to something, how to hire a winning team, how to train and develop different departments, how to make the most of marketing campaigns, and so much more.
- The courage I’ve learned throughout the journey: The willingness to try again and again and again even when I’m at my worst. I started with nothing, got turned down 21 times, and on the 22nd attempt, I finally got a deal — and this is just one example of many.
We all have experiences like these, and the outcome depends on your willingness to stand tall in the face of constant adversity.
The other aspect of being able to build yourself back up comes from always asking yourself how you can be better than yesterday. Always be asking yourself how you can be a better leader, a better marketer, a better operator, and so on.
Whatever it is you’re trying to improve, focusing on doing what it takes to improve yourself is what will catapult you to the next level. If you get knocked down, you get back up because you’ve maintained those capabilities you’ve learned and you maintain the courage to try again.
