How To Pivot And The Mastery Of Failure

Time Flies

I just relaunched 29 days ago and already I realize I'm neglecting a core purpose to having completed this re-design... 

I posted 1 half-assed "Yah New Site Is Up"  yada... yada... blog at the beginning, then nothing.

Why did I even bother to add the blog to my portfolio site, to begin with? Before this post started tonight, I thought about removing this blog section altogether.

Something inside said it was time to start writing.

And so I am.

And so, Here we are. 

My intentions must be better this time around; it was over 14 months ago when I left for SE Asia, and I said I would keep up with it. Nope, that didn't happen.

I mean, on the front of my site, it says I am a writer. What type of writer doesn't write or blog?

I'm definitely not blaming writer's block; the world today just happens to provide an abundance of material to write about.

Just pick your topic, politics, economy, relationships... whatever it is, wow someone with your words, or hone your writing craft further.

For most people who give it a go, avoiding the blog is easy... Heck, many of my clients do it as well, and I think I've allowed it to rub off a bit. 

Some clients start with a vision to create content as a grand strategy to bring in business.

But then, they realize it actually takes work to come up with something new to say all the time, and in a way, people won't get lost.

And who can forget how easy it is to mistake 160 characters or less on the social sphere as actual writing? It's not.

So much content everywhere, all the time, and still, every day, new blogs go live.

While I've been copywriting, editing, and doing some PR for companies, that style of writing varies from topic to topic. Plus, it isn't my content to use, so it doesn't belong on my blog. 

Ever catch yourself not sticking to something you said you would? 

Unless you're not human, the answer should be yes...

Somewhere, sometimes, you can remember this sensation.

What I found was there are many more areas of purpose I was not sticking to aside from this blog.

Being too many to count, I'm starting here.

Maybe just once a month for now, then slightly more frequently as I re-adjust my balance.

My lack of attention to this blog doesn't mean I've not been hard at work, but actually too hard at work. Yes, there is such a thing as too hard at work.

It almost went to a place I swore two years ago I would never go again.

A place where "work" could have the opportunity to overtake my balance stress levels and create self-sabotaging reactions.  

I was getting dangerously close to letting that be a possibility. 

Sometimes LIFE Just Has To Click; OTHER TIMES YOU NEED A CRACK ACROSS THE SKULL.

Until this evening's sunset... when I was reminded why I must keep the balance at all costs. I've witnessed too many friends in the entrepreneurial world literally lose their absolute minds.

 
Tonight's Sunset, August 3rd, 2016 - Somewhere Under The Same Sky - Photo By Brandon Mushlin

Tonight's Sunset, August 3rd, 2016 - Somewhere Under The Same Sky - Photo By Brandon Mushlin

 

I've talked some down from suicide, and heck, I've faced even some of the worst demons I thought I could ever imagine. Running your own company is not for the faint at heart.

Depression, instability, and, in some cases, insanity are very real dangers that entrepreneurs must deal with. 

As with anything in life, if you don't control your emotions, they can spike up and down with your income, your clients, and the energy you pick up from another person on any random day.

While I've been fortunate to have a world of incredible clients, experiences, and journeys, somewhere along the line, I started to see myself getting more wrapped up in my client's vision then ensuring mine was also being met.

In incredibly successful times and massively hard times, one constant is giving gratitude for this life I get to live. 

It's easy to get wrapped up in all the noise and shiny toys.

The politics, the word vomit on social media, opinions, and attention spans shorter than a goldfish, everyone fighting to get a piece of you, or tell you a piece about them. 

Life can gravitate that way if you get caught up, if your circle isn't as tight as it needs to be, or if you get sucked into the distractions.

 
 

How To Pivot

I was fortunate to learn so long ago the meaning of losing all possessions and starting over. 

It's helped so many times before when I had to keep learning, experiencing, pivoting, and moving forward.

I call it the "Mastery of Failure".

The act where one realizes it actually is no longer recognized as a failure and not the cliche' "lesson that had to be learned."

...  It's actually the "test" placed before you to see if you are going to take the bait and repeat the mistake.

Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same result."

Learn to recognize distraction before it happens, stretch the brain to think outside the box, become much more aware of your surroundings, and listen more to your intuition.

How many areas of your life, work, relationships, and partnerships could you sit down and look at, knowing they were repeated across all experiences?

Did you choose "work relationships" that didn't work out in the same ways "personal relationships" didn't work out?

Most often, we repeat similar patterns across all areas of life unless we're concisely aware of the mistakes we are making.

The Mastery Of Failure

From a nice home in the midwest to living in a condo on the beach to the back of the truck and with only a backpack, I wake up each day giving gratitude for the tests that arrive daily.

And yes, we're tested daily on multiple levels, not just with jobs or relationships but in all the small choices that lead to massive wins. 

Companies I work with expand my creative nature, impact lives, and help clients spend more time with their families as they work towards their own dreams.

For the small role that I play, I come away with truly powerful relationships and friendships. To me, that is one of the best trade-offs: building awesome connections.

My whole life, I've learned the value of a person, a conversation, and a connection. I attribute this to my amazing parents.

When I looked up at tonight's sky, I was reminded that while times can be lean, hard, difficult, tough, and sometimes seem to take longer than you wish, it all comes when it's meant to.

Stay the course:

Being kind to another takes less effort than being rude or mean! 

Making another person smile could be the first time that person smiled in a long time. 

Help someone else become successful, be a champion for your friend's new business, learn something new, and expand your own vision.

When you make others happy, you make yourself happy, and that's how you start to make an impact.

Staying happy and making others happy is the most important key to mastering failure.

We can have grand visions with no action, but then that's just a wasted dream.

Instead, envision everything you want, light the fire under your tail, surround yourselves with those that will get you there, and don't look back.

You're not going that way!

Brandon Mushlin

Creating digital legacies and connecting consumers with services that surpass their dreams, ensuring every interaction is a step towards a remarkable and enduring success story. | Brandon Mushlin - Full Stack Creative Strategist.