Entrepreneur Mindset: Learn from the past but don’t dwell on it…

In business and in life we all learn valuable lessons.

Some easy and some hard…

I’ve found that it is important to take the lessons I’ve learned and use them wisely to grow and get better at what I do.

The trick is to make sure that you learn from the past and don’t end up dwelling on it for long.

In short…learn the lesson, tuck it away and move on.

I’ve made many mistakes in my career and life.  Divorce, gotten fired, worked with the wrong people to name just a few.  A couple years ago, I found myself wildly successful with a huge team and a big list of clients.

I was miserable…I was working like a dog and nobody was happy.

I ended up burnt out, firing a good portion of my team and my clients.  Then I took a rest so I could see what wasn’t working and how to fix that so it wouldn’t happen again.

I learned from those mistakes I made…working with clients who I couldn’t please no matter what, the wrong people on my team and not having the right systems in place.

One by one I tackled those things and grew my business back to a more manageable level.  

Now I have a small but mighty team  – there are 5 of us.  We work with great clients who are easy to please and do the work required of them.   And most of all, everyone is happy.

Yes, we still get a few clients who aren’t the right fit but we are quick to recognize this, finish our work with them and politely send them on their way.

When I started doing this, I realized how much easier and more fun work became.

I’ve learned to to take the lessons from yesterday and use them to my advantage.

You know…those successes, failures, mistakes or whatever they may be for you.

Use them to your advantage.

Avoid dragging them around and allowing them to weigh you down or stop your progress.

Instead look at them as gifts, as an opportunity for a fresh start.

What ever they may be, use them as lessons or as guide posts on your journey as an entrepreneur.  They are truly gifts that can help you to get you to where you want to go.

I know, I’ve been on both sides.  I’ve wallowed in misery, I’ve cried, I’ve thought about quitting when things got tough.  

And I’m certain I’ll make more mistakes and have more things I need to learn on this entrepreneurial journey.

I will pick myself up and use them to my advantage and I urge you to do the same thing.  Learn from the past, use it to your advantage.

What’s holding you back?