We Don't Fail - We Pivot -

BREAKTHROUGHS WITH ROSS GELLER AND KEEBLER FUDGE STICKS

One simple word from an iconic scene on Friends made it one of the most memorable scenes from the entire series. You know it–when Ross, Chandler and Rachel are moving a couch up a flight of stairs. PIVOT!

I’m sure at some point in your life you’ve experienced this, and I’m not talking about a couch. Recently, I had a massive breakthrough in my business, and at first it wasn’t easy to accept.

How many times have you said to yourself, “I’m a failure!” Have you ever had the thought, “If I fail, I’m done! I can’t go on!”

Imagine this feeling in the middle of the night with fudge sticks in hand.

This is exactly what happened to me. Over a year ago I had a business idea to launch a stock photo membership. There were so many amazing entrepreneurs doing it and from my viewpoint it looked successful. I thought this was it! I knew I wanted to do something with my photography and as I watched other mentors and entrepreneurs build a membership, I thought, why not me? And that’s what I did.

I launched the membership with high hopes and confidence. Did I have sign ups? Yes. Did I have members quit? Yes. Did I enjoy the work it required? Yes. Was it hard? 100 yeses!!

So, what happened in the course of a year? For as many members came in, the same number dropped off. I wasn’t scaling in a way I planned. I also started putting new ideas and goals on the back burner because I was shackled to my membership. I had to meet deadlines month after month.

My vision was also starting to shift. My big picture was getting bigger, but I couldn’t move closer to that picture because I remained handcuffed to one project.

Back to present time. It was a Monday night. The house was quiet. Kids and dog are sleeping, and my husband is out of town for work. I have the entire bed to myself, but I lay restless. My mind won’t shut off. Bad thoughts start to creep in the darkness.

“I’m a total failure. I’m a loser. I’m not good enough. What will everyone think? People will reject me. I suck!”

Then something happened that I can’t quite explain. A voice says, “GET UP!” Call it intuition, call it God, call it whatever, but I literally sat straight up in the dark! It was 11:34 p.m. I remember clearly. I listened to that voice.

I swung my feet to the side of the bed, stood up and walked downstairs. I didn’t know what to do next, so I walked to the kitchen, opened the pantry and grabbed the first thing I saw – Keebler fudge sticks!

I began to pace back n’ forth, from the living room to the kitchen, back n’ forth and back n’ forth. Suddenly, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Mid-bite, I said to myself, “Let it go.”

I knew right then and there; I would close my membership. And here’s the powerful part, I wasn’t sad about it. I knew in that moment my decision wasn’t a failure, it was a pivot that would allow me to uncuff myself to move and grow. Thank you Ross!

My membership wasn’t a failure. It was a lesson I needed. That membership taught me how to keep deadlines, manage my schedule, take amazing photos, improve my editing skills and it gave me the confidence to do something bigger in my business.

My message to you, no matter where you are in your business – be gracious with yourself and allow yourself to pivot. Your experiences are what shape you into who you are today.

Marie Forleo said it best in her book, Everything is Figureoutable.