What is Your Life Vest?
Well all face adversity in one form or another. We all approach it in different ways we all also have different situations in our lives that might seem like challenges or obstacles. Overall many of us know how to swim in those waters but it gets to a point where you might need a life vest to keep you afloat when you are tired or need to conserve your energy. (Some of us might even need a lifeboat).
In strange waters
I thought about this post after reading Chris Brogan’s post “TYING OFF OR FACING THE WAVES“. His approach on sinking a few ships regarding how he like many of us including myself have failed at a few business venture. He focuses on how you have to keep pushing and putting more boats out there some will survive others will not. In my case in the past 3 years I have attempted a few businesses that tanked like are Resume Writing business, Job Board for Puerto Rico, and a few others. Overall we ended up sinking a few ships and our economical capital when down with it.
Our Economical Capital Sank but our Knowledge Capital Grew and Floated to the Surface
By sinking those ships (not on purpose) we did get a quick schooling in how some things work better than others especially in Puerto Rico a place where business is handled very differently from other places. Sinking a few of those ships brought interest in us launching a few others like many of the service lines in CIMAPR.net that where launched after our job board was a complete failure.
Lessons from Sinking Ships
We learned many lessons we have applied in our current business. Even when we learn new lessons based on our opportunities we might be able to read a pattern, person, business transaction, or any other element a big better based on our past experiences. We know how to focus on what might work and take out of the equation those things that failed and we know don’t work. By focusing on elements that have a higher rate of success it helps us greatly in increasing our opportunities in the market.
Knowing how to Swim
Once I commented on Chris post we exchanged a few messages and like always Chris blew me away with his last comment on that post directed towards me on how if we knew how to swim then it did not matter how many ships we sank we would always be able to step out of the water and launch another one.
Support
Even if we know how to swim we might need a life vest to make sure that even if it takes a bit more for the rescue team to arriver or the current taking you towards dry land we can give it another try. In my case I would call it a life vest.
I have many life vests by preparing things like saving money and always being ready for adversity by being flexible with every possible outcome (especially those you did not plan for).
What are the life vests or lifeboats that will keep you afloat when you launch your next ship (project) and be ready in case it sinks?
As a matter of fact following Guy Kawasaki’s advice why don’t you conduct a pre-Mortem to make sure you cover all the possible outcomes where your business can currently fail.