Preparing for the curves up ahead can be daunting, to say the least. The alternative though can be that you find yourself stuck right where you are and traveling nowhere fast. Hi, I am Cheri Ruskus and welcome to Business Victories the podcast that looks beyond just dollar signs and into the heart and soul of your business.

In today’s podcast, we are going to look at our perceived failures that represent the curve in the road as we travel through the journey of our business as it grows and coincides with all the other things happening in our lives.

I titled this podcast Boo Who?  To represent the fear that comes when either we are anticipating failure or that we are full fledge In the middle of a failure  – along with that need we can tend to have to blame someone or thing for it happening – that’s the who.  I can tell you in my journey I have wasted so much time in pity parties either by myself or trying to pull others into it. Guess what? The pity parties never served me nor did blame especially if I was blaming myself – for what trying?

So let’s look at these failures or curves better said.

Think about the curves that you have had in your road along the way. What if you kept going straight because the curve scared you and headed right over a cliff of a whole other disaster. Or you slammed on the brakes and didn’t let yourself fully experience the full adventure of what was before you because you were so afraid.

Sometimes curves can be barely noticeable and sometimes they can be nasty s curves like we have on Flagstaff mountain here in Boulder, Colorado that require all of your attention and skill sets to keep yourself on the road.

Think about the curves that sent you sailing in another direction altogether in your life.

Napoleon Hill called them turning points in his book Law of Success.

The principle we share this month is profiting from failure and how our perceived failures really do shape us. Stop and think about your failures along the way and how they were, in fact, turning points. What is a failure after all then a curve in the road that slowed you down a bit?

Now I have had people say to me, “I have had no turning points in my life” and I have to either call out a bull shit on that or have them take a look at what they possibly missed they didn’t take any risks or that they were extremely brilliant and lucky for perfectly orchestrating their life – which lets face it is extremely rare!

I have had plenty of curve along my journey let me tell you. I shared in this week’s Victory Letter that last week I celebrated as I do each year my 38th anniversary of moving here to Boulder Colorado. I was scared shitless when I moved here. I barely knew one person who had agreed to give me a place to live for a month. I left my family and friends behind in California because I knew something was waiting here for me. I didn’t have a job.   

In the course of my first three years I had three jobs all proving to be with businesses run by very ineffective people and after a series of getting fired and layoffs (one job I begged them to lay me off before asking me as a supervisor to lay off any more people) I decided to take the scariest steps of my life and start my own business.

 

So let's look at the word curve as an acronym.

C          Cue up to what is about to change.

Many curves come with a warning sign if we are paying full attention. This can come in a variety of forms from a map to a hard sign in the road letting us know what is up ahead. This is when focus and preparation is our best friend.

 

U         Uncover what is really scaring you about this curve. What is good about the bumps along the way that have prepared you for this curve? What is on the other side of this curve that will serve you well. Create the vision in your mind’s eye of you easily conquering the curve with belief.

 

R          Rely on your strengths and best traction skills.

You have been on this journey for a while. Yes, that’s right this isn’t your first curve, you have conquered many before. Think about what strengths you already possess that served you before and will serve you again knowing you have got this.

 

V          Veer to the inside of the curve. 

Aerodynamically it is always best to lean into a curve versus fighting it. You save time and effort by heading towards the inside with confidence and just the right speed. Be one with the curve.

 

E          Energize with the synergy that comes from outside support. 

Any good athlete knows that you can’t do it alone. Neither can you go it alone in business? You need the synergy of awesome customers, great vendors, a coach who helps you towards your vision, and people around you who are all about you making the curves.

 

And if you would like to get updates about this podcast in your inbox simply go to our website at www.businessvictories.com and subscribe to our Victory Letter that announces these podcasts every Monday morning along with additional juicy inspiration to get your week started out in a positive way so that you can start your week thinking about how you are going to take on any curves that come your way.

Now as you head into this week ahead plan for those curves. Share this podcast with someone you may know or see avoiding the curves. Leave us a comment on what stood out for you on today's’ show and rate what you have heard.

Here is to your successes along the way and of course, your victories as you embrace the curves that we know life will throwing our way.