From Setback to Success Contest
Our failures and setbacks often will inform and lead us to our success. History is littered with amazing stories of individuals, teams and organizations that have had to overcome enormous obstacles and challenges on their path to eventual success.
A common thread in all of these stories, that begin with a setback or failure and in the end lead to success, is HOW the individual or organization viewed the setback. To them a failure wasn’t an excuse to give up on a goal or dream; it was a learning experience that caused them to be stronger and more determined to achieve greatness.
These setbacks to success stories are what inspire us to keep pursuing our dreams. They allow us to continue in the face of adversity and enhance our belief that we can achieve great things if we will just keep going, keep going, keep going and take that next step…and the next…
Here is your contest: What is your SETBACK to SUCCESS story? I want to hear how you, your family, organization or team overcame the obstacles that you faced on your way to your success.
To enter the contest, at the bottom of this page, type your name, email, website (if you have one) and your setback to success story.
EVERYONE has had a failure in his or her life. We are only human. How did you approach a failure and turn it into a success? We all have outstanding stories. So, be as brief or as detailed as you like and know that your story may be one to inspire others to keep going.
Be sure to look for my blog post tomorrow, Go Forth and Fail, were I will share many stories of how famous failures were a stepping stone to great success.
Prizes
Grand Prize – Freedom Personal Development Sweatshirt
Second Place – “Expect Success” Book
Third Place – Freedom Personal Development Water Bottle
Winners will be chosen by members of the Freedom Personal Development Team, announced on the blog and contacted by email November 3, 2008.
Be Free!
David Shoup
Instructor
In 2001, at the age of 30, I started a direct marketing firm. 15 months later, being virtually debt free, and very successful, I hired a CPA “business consultant” to help me.
Long story short, within five months of hiring her, here is what happened. I got married. My wife got preganant and had an at-risk pregnancy, almost losing her life. I spent almost all of my time with my wife.
Meanwhile, my CPA “business consultant” wanted to be a partner with me. She was enamored with the profit margins. Also, I am VERY good at building up my team. As I built up my team, she got to thinking, and asking my employees, “what does Frederic do? Do we really need him?”
When she offered to haver her and her police officer boyfriend be my three way partners, and I said no, things got ugly. She left my office in a huff, infuriated. She was cold after that, but I never thought anything of it. I figured she was just disappointed.
Well, within that five month time frame, she broke the law by starting a company to compete with me (while she worked for me), she successfully recruited employees, clients,(you see, I also built up her to my employees and clients.) and even had the gall to use the same vendors. I found out from a vendor that she was competing with me.
In the meantime, she was negligent with the books, made “stupid” mistakes that cost me in teh five figures (even though we were successful and debt-free when I hired her, I began losing money fast.) I was spending my time with my wife, and not looking at the books like I should.
I crashed, as did my company. Also, I sacrificed my financial well-being for the company. I was not rich when I started, by any means. I lost both of cars, and almost lost my home. I have been starting from scratch.
I had that company for a very fast-paced two years, and it still affects me.
The small businesses I owe money to I am still paying back, even though legally I am not required to . I value my reputation THAT much.
God has blessed me, and I am on the verge of getting rid of my debt, I have begun a speaking career that is in several markets. (church, business, academic, teen)
What I learned from falling is the following.
When your confidence is in the toilet, do something that you are good at. Latch on to it, and piggy back off the confidence you have in that one thing, and that confidence will carry over into other areas. I can’t stress this lesson enough, for it saved me when I was at rock bottom.
1) ALWAYS monitor your books.
2) Family is more important than business, so make sure your business works within the framework of your family comittments.
3) God is always faithful. The question is, am I?
4) Those lessons when my business collapsed have chiseled me. I NEVER would have been as strong, or resourceful, as I am were it not for those hardships.
5) There is no shame in falling down. The shame is in STAYING down!
6) The people who really love you will not abandon you in your down times…so don’t let your pride keep them away.
7) There really ARE multiple opportunities in every singular failure.
9)Always do good deeds! Let me explain. Around the same time I started my business, I bought a 1986 Honda Civic from a friend for $400. I bought it to give to some “needy Christian” at my church. Well, I waited, and never saw a need…until I lost both my cars, and was at rock bottom. I never, NEVER in a million years that the “needy Christian” I bought the car for was going to be ME!!!
10) Be healthy. I was grossly overweight when I had my business, and as a result lacked energy. I often have thought that I would have been able to save my company if I had just had the necessary energy to do so. but I was so unhealthy, I didn’t have the energy or the drive.
Comment by Frederic Gray — October 2, 2008 @ 10:30 am
My story starts out like many others. I was born into a loving home, and grew up in a small town. My childhood was good, I never had problems making friends or fitting in. I played baseball, skateboarded, lifted weights, and just enjoyed life. Around the age of 13 these hobbies took a backseat when I was introduced to smoking pot. I still made honor roll and kept the appearance of a well behaved young teen. This didn’t last long when I was arrested for drug/paraphernalia possession. I was sent to treatment for the first time, I was 14. I looked around the room and heard the others stories and thought these people are crazy, id never be that bad! Since I was getting drug tested I figured the best way to alter my mind was by drinking. From the first time I drank I loved it, pot was out and beer was in. Drinking and girls become my obsession. My grades began to slip as the partying increased; I lived for Friday and Saturday nights. I soon had a great idea, why wait for the weekend? I began drinking almost daily my junior year. By graduation I had over a dozen drinking tickets totaling thousands of dollars, all the money I made from part time work was used to pay the fines. By the age of 19 I was drinking over a liter of brandy and whatever beer I had a day. Morning noon or night I was drunk. The next few years were truly horrific. I picked up a few drunk driving, a few more trips I rehab, and countless mornings ashamed of myself. Nothing seemed to help, or maybe I just didn’t want it. My bottom came at 25. I had just gotten fired from a good job, my girlfriend moved out, my family disowned me, I had $1.47 in my bank account, and hadn’t had a license in 5 years. I was broke physically, mentally, financially, and spiritually. I hated myself and how I had hurt my loved ones. For the first time in seven years I truly wanted to be sober. I regularly attended 12 step meetings, and followed the example set by my new sober piers. I now have almost two years sober and live a life that I dreamed about when I was sitting on a bar stool. I have a good job that pays well and learn something new each day, a great relationship with my family and friends, I have a license and a little bit more than $1.47 in the bank. My new girlfriend is amazing, and continues to impress me in every way. Best of all I like myself today; I laugh with people and not laughed at. I have respect for others and treat them the way I want to be treated. After losing everything I’m grateful for things most take for granted like, having my mom answer when I call, having perfect attendance at work, having car insurance, playing cribbage with my girlfriend, not feeling sick every morning, and being able to look at myself in the mirror and not feel ashamed.
I may not be rich or married or have kids, but I feel successful every night I fall asleep sober. (I would feel really success full if I won a new FPD sweatshirt.)
Comment by J. Kevin C. — October 2, 2008 @ 8:32 pm
Shortly after my wife and I taking your two day course in Austin we traveled to Overland Park, KS to spend some time with our grandkids. Maryn is 6 months, Aydin is 5 years old and Peyton is 7 years old Aydin loves to have me tell her made up stories about mostly animals. I will usually start by saying “give me two animals” then I make up a story about them which hopefully has some impact about faith, religion, fairness or other virtuous. The first day we were there I thought I would put some of my workshop knowledge to work on Aydin. I asked her to give me 10 animals and with each animal she gave me I tried to create a word picture in her mind about each. Number one was dog, so I said what kind of a dog, big, little, mean, gentle, etc. Number 9 was a cow; we made it a blue cow. Number 4 was a cat; after some discussion we decided to make it a yellow cat.
Throughout our weeklong visit I would ask Aydin what number 3 was; ant eater was the answer, number 10; skunk etc.
>From that point on until we left some week later she had them in her mind in order without fail…..
I was amazed that a 5 year old could do this as was her parents.
Thanks for a great course.
Dave Wyatt
Bevers Real Estate
Comment by Dave Wyatt — October 3, 2008 @ 12:10 pm
I strongly believe that setbacks happen for a reason and it is how you handle those setbacks that determines your success. My family suffered quite a setback at the end of last year when my 3 ½-year-old son was diagnosed with brain cancer. It was very hard to hear and process that information. After a successful surgery my son kind of came out of this shell he had been in all along. We always figured he was shy like both of us, but now we know it was the tumor holding his personality and true self back. I struggled with the impact of the news for months. I went through a grieving process of sorts. We had a followup MRI scan and the tumor had started growing back so he had to undergo yet another operation and this time follow it with chemotherapy. It felt as if someone changed the rules of the game on us. I have to give so much credit to my husband and especially my son for helping me to see that December 27, 2007, was not the worst day of our life, but possibly the best. Yes, that was a very hard time and sometimes it still is, but after getting a clear MRI scan in August, I would call that a success. We have succeeded in not letting this define us. Not only has my son done amazing everyday, but he has taught both of us so much about strength, courage, character, endurance, joy, love, happiness, and living life in the moment. We are in the midst of chemotherapy right now and will continue it weekly for the next year, but no one would ever know the fight he is fighting unless they were told about it. I think this has made our little family unit so much stronger, joyful, happier, and more united than I ever could have imagined before this. My husband and I now have a perspective on life that without this happening I do not think we would have obtained. And, now we will be able to teach our son that so he can live his life to the fullest without regrets.
We would not have been able to make it through the past 10 months without constant love and support from our friends, family, and everyone at Freedom Personal Development. There is a line in an e-mail from someone very dear to us that I look at often to remind me, “Also, please let this serve as a reminder how valuable life is and to cherish every moment, for the present is all that we have.” This company is not just a company, it is a family that cares and helps each other see the bigger picture and to value that picture.
My son is the shining example of setbacks leading to success. This has allowed him to be who he was always meant to be. He does not struggle with the impact of it all. To him this is just something we do and he does it every week without fail. After hardship comes success and you will be a much happier, healthier, fulfilled, and grounded person having lived through it.
Comment by Diane Glerum — October 3, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
My setback was a real estate transaction gone bad that caused my mental attitude to slip into extreme anxiety, worry, hopelessness, and fear. In reality, the real estate transaction went exactly as planned, but in my mind I was imagining the worst case scenarios. The worst case scenarios freaked me out so much that I could hardly function.
The situation actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and it’s turned out to be the most influential experience in my life. I was always used to succeeding, so when I was confronted with the worst case scenarios, I didn’t know what to do. Luckily, a mentor helped me through the situation, with one specific coaching call that I vividly remember. The situation changed my viewpoint on God, life, and belief.
During that coaching call my mentor reminded me to focus on my faith and on the things that I have most influence over. My mindset literally changed over night, and I began to expect positive things to happen. Amazingly, the very next day two very positive things occurred.
All in all, what took me from setback to success was a change in my mindset, from an attitude of unbelief to an attitude of belief. The physical world responded to my internal change, and things started to go well. If you’re unable to stand on your own belief, find a friend who’s willing to let you borrow theirs.
Comment by David Meyers — October 14, 2008 @ 2:17 pm