Wednesday Words
To Go Where Your VisionPoints, a few inspiration points for you and your business.
Success is not built on success. It’s built on failure. It’s built on frustration. Sometimes it’s built on catastrophe.
—Sumner Redstone
You know it’s true—what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. And more creative. And hungry. Embrace it.
Build your future on the firm foundation of failure.
Grow and be well,
Kelly Erickson
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3 December 2008, 7:48 am
That is happening all around us, right now – there are so many people taking advantage of the chaos that is the crunch. And that doesn’t mean we have to do anything nefarious either, we just have to jump when the moment is right.
I will be one of them…
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post…viking fridays – fate of norns.
3 December 2008, 11:59 am
Okay, I’ll bite…who the hell is Sumner Redstone?
(Did they build the Redstone rockets that the Mercury astronauts went up in?)
And I tend to disagree with their quote. If you fail along the way, that’s that’s understandable. And we all learn from our mistakes.
But if the whole thing you’re trying to acheive is a catastrophic Cluster-F**k before you get it right, I wouldnt’ necessary call it a “success”.
I can give an example, of a certain factory totally screwing up and getting in trouble with a Federal Regualutor. They told the factory “You BETTER get this fixed in so many weeks, or you’re in BIG TROUBLE”.
So the Factory scrambled and fixed the problem. Ahead of time, even.
And when they were done, they rang the bells, butchered the fatted calf, and patted themselves on the back, telling their employees in so many words, that this was a “success”. Lookit how great we are, etc. etc…
But nobody dared mention, why did they get in trouble, in the FIRST PLACE?
(THAT is NOT a success…in my books!)
It’d be more honest to say “We acheived our goal…it was a Learning experience”.
Friar’s last blog post…Vintage Friar Toons #3
3 December 2008, 3:03 pm
Brett,
Jump when the moment is right. I agree. There are a lot of places to jump right now, too. Like a clearance sale on life. So you have to choose the right direction for the jump!
Friar,
He’s the chairman of CBS and Viacom… or he was, I’m not totally sure he still is. He’s famous for speaking his mind—kinda like you.
I think his point was sort of like if you’ve always been happy, how can you tell you’re happy?
If success just follows you around, you won’t learn those hard lessons that give you a chance to truly race ahead of the pack.
You won’t get the lightning creative flash of insight that comes from staring at your reflection at 3 am, saying, what on Earth am I going to DO?
I’d say that a certain Factory had not totally Failed at that point, with a capital F. They were teetering, and looking for a band-aid, not sitting among the ashes, wondering how they’d ever rise again.
Lots of companies run in that mode for years. From emergency to emergency, throwing band-aids around. The U.S. auto industry would like the government to hand them just one more band-aid now.
I see their point, but I’m thinking they’d do better with a nice quiet sit among the ashes.
You can’t start a revolution from a position of contentment.
Regards,
Kelly
3 December 2008, 4:17 pm
@Kelly
You’re right. Bread and cirucusses. That’s all you need to keep the yahoos complacent and happy. Bread and circusses.
Friar’s last blog post…Vintage Friar Toons #3
3 December 2008, 4:21 pm
“Success is the steel that’s forged from the ashes of Failure…”
Professeur Emile McFughieu
(Universite de la Sorbonne-sur-Levy).
Friar’s last blog post…Vintage Friar Toons #3
3 December 2008, 4:50 pm
Friar,
Did I say that? I’m sure I didn’t mean to, o cynical one, though there is something to it on one level…
Doesn’t work for PhD yahoos, though. That requires beer and bonfires.
I love/hate when you make up quotations. Emile’s is so close to something real it makes my head spin. (He’s an Irish-Frenchman, eh? McFughieu—LOL!)
Later,
Kelly
3 December 2008, 9:57 pm
I prefer to build my success on bravado
James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog post…Drive-by-Shooting Sundays: The Antisocial Social Worker
3 December 2008, 10:39 pm
James,
No argument here. You certainly do.
Until later,
Kelly
3 December 2008, 10:40 pm
Hey, where’d my
go?
Better.
4 December 2008, 3:18 am
This feels like the same thing of my wallowing to produce a spurt of creativity and productivity. It’s like I need to feel like I’m not getting anywhere to motivate me forward.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome’s last blog post…Fear, Unique Pathways & Self-Awareness: Lessons from the Lab-Rats
4 December 2008, 6:45 am
Alex,
LOL, I don’t think you want to need crisis around you every time you need motivation… though come to think of it, I do usually have mini dips of energy and giving a damn right before I turn the world on its ear.
I will bet you, though, that every single commenter here (and 85% of the silent readers) have had this very experience. Everybody’s got a tale of woe, and if we want it badly enough, we get up and build success out of it.
Just that we all define our successes differently.
I’ve decided that I’m going to tell Brett I’ve moved to España so I won’t have to make excuses for being late to his parties anymore. That’s my way of saying I love waking up to Alex-comments!
Later,
Kelly
4 December 2008, 8:39 am
I see this in action all the time. My career marketing clients happily go to jobs everyday. I warn them to keep their marketing tools ready, network and be open but things are good why rock the boat? I warn them again that they are not invincible and should be proactive…and then it happens, a merger, acquisition, reduction in force. Income threatened, chaos and suddenly there is passionate, committed action. For me, I embrace the chaos which removes the fear. Walk head on into the eye of the storm, once there it’s not this big scary thing and cool, rational action gets me through.
Karen Swim’s last blog post…Is It Far Better to Give than Receive?
4 December 2008, 9:19 am
Happy to be of service providing you with morning bons mots…
As for crisis management approach to life, yes, a Very Bad Approach. I tend only to use it when I’m gearing up to some big attitudal shift and I’m fighting it like a baby fights going to sleep.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome’s last blog post…Fear, Unique Pathways & Self-Awareness: Lessons from the Lab-Rats
4 December 2008, 1:13 pm
Hey, I loved your comment on Liz’s open mic night (just reading it now). What a great idea to just tell 2/3 of something and let the missing part be the start of conversation.
Todd Smith’s last blog post…Let’s Create Together!
4 December 2008, 2:36 pm
Karen,
Proactive. An overused word, but an underused concept. You’re right, so many people don’t see the point in forethought until it’s hindsight. Drives those who try to help them plan, crazy!
Alex,
Your bon mots go with my a.m. caffeine so well.
“Like a baby fights going to sleep”—yes! I rebel against myself during those dips in energy, nah, nah, I won’t be Superwoman. The internal bickering when I’m not on track is ridiculous, and then boom, I’m back on track and I stop fighting myself. Maybe I use that rebel time to gear up for go-go-go. Hmm.
Todd,
Thanks so much, and welcome to Maximum Customer Experience!
I don’t always follow that tip, though I always try. It really has helped me to shape things here into a group effort. The benefits for me have been fabulous, but what’s most important is that it benefits folks who are reading MCE. That little shift in how I see my role here has made all the difference. I’m glad I learned it very early in my blogging days!
Until later,
Kelly
4 December 2008, 2:50 pm
Thanks, Kelly. I just subscribed to this blog. Thanks for your comments here and on my blog. Love what you’ve done with Thesis. The more I read people like you, the better blogger I become.
Todd Smith’s last blog post…Let’s Create Together!
4 December 2008, 3:23 pm
Todd,
Glad to have you aboard! Actually, this is my riff on an old theme called Soleil, which I absolutely love. It’s relatively spare and captures my best “turn the world on its ear” energy perfectly.
Dear Readers,
I never do this so listen up:
If you have a moment in your day you MUST go wander through Todd’s blog to see his photography.
It’s energetic and peaceful at the same time, and well worth a side trip from your usual cyber-roaming. Click here to be blown away by his talent. I was.
Until later,
Kelly
4 December 2008, 3:35 pm
Wow, thank you Kelly! You’re so generous. It means a ton to me.
Todd Smith’s last blog post…Let’s Create Together!
4 December 2008, 5:37 pm
You’re welcome! I calls ‘em as I sees ‘em, and I don’t get wowed like that too often. It made a lovely break in my hectic day.