We spend a lot of time on the 60 Second Marketer talking about digital marketing and how to improve the results of your social, mobile or other digital marketing campaigns.
But every once in a while, I like to share some business insights that fall outside of the normal “How To Do Digital Marketing” kind of post.
I’ve worked hard over the years — probably harder than most people — and, as a result, I’ve had some successes to show for it. I have a couple of books published by mainstream publishers, I get on CNN and HLN every so often, and I have a blog that’s read by hundreds of thousands of people around the globe each year.
From the outside, everything looks peachy keen.
But here’s the thing — for every two things you know about me that make me look like a success, I have eight failures behind me that you don’t know about. Seriously, I’ve done the math. For every book I’ve written, there are 8 things I’ve done that have failed. And for every appearance I make on CNN, there are 8 other attempts at things that have fallen flat.
Think of it this way — if you finish a marathon, but during your training suffer from leg cramps, at the end of the race, what are you going to tell people about. The leg cramps? Or the marathon?
Of course, you’d talk about finishing the marathon.
The reality is that training for a marathon isn’t easy. I’ve done it and, quite frankly, it’s a pain in the ass. Half the time, you’re running a 15-mile training run in the rain. Or the dark. Or both.
The other half of the time, you’re nursing a strained hamstring or a sore foot.
But if you don’t face those challenges and overcome them, then you don’t finish the marathon. And if you don’t finish the marathon, you don’t get to share it with your friends. And if you don’t get to share it with your friends, there’s no point in running the marathon in the first place.
Did you know that my first business failed?
Probably not.
Did you know that my first book proposal failed?
No, because I’ve never brought it up before.
Did you know that my online training program failed — twice?!
Nope. Because I don’t talk about it much.
The Bottom Line:
Next time you find yourself focusing on someone else’s success, remember — they’ve failed more times than you know about. And they’re pushing through things that seem insurmountable.
Just like we all are.
So plow through. Keep your head high. And remember — the only way to succeed in life is to keep trying and to fail your way to the top.
Jamie Turner is the CEO of the 60 Second Marketer and 60 Second Communications, a marketing communications agency that works with national and international brands. He is the co-author of “How to Make Money with Social Media” and “Go Mobile” and is a popular marketing speaker at events, trade shows and corporations around the globe.