They say when you are about to die, you see a bright light. A light that leads a person to paradise; to a place where all the questions they had throughout their entire life can be answered, to a place where it all makes sense.
And yes, I believe this is what happens. Not only when we take our final breath, but also each time we fail at something. We learn something new about ourselves and about the world we live in. That light appears and it takes us somewhere else if you have the courage to follow it.
Throughout this journey, we've learned that creativity often leads to failure... and a different kind of "death". It's just a part of the adventure that any explorer must get to know quite fondly. And it can be a good thing.
Why would anyone person want to risk failing? To see that light at the end of the tunnel, obviously.
When I bought my first rental property at 23 years old, one of the first things I did was buy life insurance. My family had no interest in rental properties and/or businesses. So, it was my duty to make sure that if the ride did come to an end, they were covered. And deep down, I knew that it could.
Stress is the ultimate deterrent for those that don't want to start a business. And rightfully so. You see, stress is weight. Weight slows you down. If it slows you down too much, the party is over. But, depending on how you respond, it can actually make you stronger.
Years ago, John and I made a decision that would end up costing us over $40,000. To a start-up company, that amount of money is invaluable. That decision was based on what everyone around us told us to do when starting a business. It was the wrong decision and for that, it's just one of the many failures that will be in the book someday.
But before you think it was all bad, don't forget, there is that all important bright light that appears at the end of every failure. That bright light showed us what we needed to do next: John and I had to sell some of the rental properties.
Once we paid off the $40,000 mistake, it was incredible how much lighter and stronger we felt. I'm not saying that mistake was a good thing. I'm just saying it just taught us a little about the world we live in, fortunately.
It was at that moment that I realized that avoiding failure at all costs is not the way through this adventure....
seeing the light and doing something about it is...
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