Here is the Magic Of Mistakes podcast transcript.
Introduction
Hi, I’m Tracy Heatley, and I thank you for listening to my Be Better With Tracy Heatley podcast. This episode is all about the magic of mistakes.
When we think about mistakes, we often link it directly to failure. So, let’s reframe that because there’s no such thing as failure, only feedback! I’m going to say that again! There’s no such thing as failure, only feedback! This is a phrase that I came across during the time I was doing my Neuro Linguistic Programming, favourably known as NLP, Master Practitioner certification. This phrase is simply generous. Especially, for someone like me, who has an innate fear of failure.
Reframing
Reframing is the art of refocusing the mind to view things from an unfamiliar perspective. A bit like flipping something negative to something more positive and useful. It doesn’t have to be something we say to others. It’s vital, in fact, that we help ourselves in this way too.
Fear Of Failure
Like a lot of other business owners, I’ve always had a fear of failure. In fact, as I say the word failure, it makes me shudder!
Sometimes, when you listen to people, like me, who are experts in their field, it’s easy to think that we know it all, but we don’t. We make mistakes too! As a small business owner, you’re responsible for so many elements of your business, which may be new to you, especially if you’re a new or fledgling start-up business. Over 90% of my clients tell me that they’re daunted by marketing. Usually, this is because they don’t know what to do and because they’re petrified of making mistakes.
In an earlier episode, I was talking about some of the massive marketing mistakes that some well-known brands had made and how to avoid them. So, I’m not playing down the impact that marketing mistakes can have. However, to alleviate the pressure of being perfect, I wanted to share some of the magic of mistakes with you.
Turning 50
I turned fifty recently, so it’s been a big reflection period for me. I was incredibly lucky to celebrate my 50th birthday in Antigua. I’m not great at relaxing and sitting still. If fact, I consider myself a human doing rather than a human being. Because of this inability to just chill and relax for prolonged periods, I spent many hours walking along the hypnotic Caribbean beach.
There’s something quite purifying about the feel of sand of your feet, the sound of birds singing and listening to the captivating sound of the waves. I found myself contemplating the many mistakes, in business, that I’ve made over the years. The ideas that I had and didn’t action, only to find later that someone else made millions out of same of similar ideas. The times I’d ignored my instincts only to regret as I knew I would. The times when I’d made rather rash decisions without doing my due diligence. My point is that none of us are perfect, but we are perfectly placed where we need to be right now.
Things Happen For A Reason
I don’t want to sound overly philosophical, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. How many times has something gone wrong, or have you missed an opportunity that you wanted, or you’ve not achieved something you strived for, only to find months or years later that it was the best that ever happened to you? We’ve all done it! In the moment, if feels dreadful, but later you know you wouldn’t change a thing, because if those mistakes hadn’t occurred you wouldn’t be where you are now and you wouldn’t have the people you have in your life with you now.
I say it repeatedly that marketing isn’t just about promoting what you’ve got to offer. It’s about giving your customers what they require. If you’ve got an idea, if you would like to change direction, if you would like to adapt your product offering, you’re thinking about introducing something new into the mix, or your business isn’t heading in the right direction, do your due diligence, do your research, get the advice and support you need but don’t be afraid to make changes for fear of making mistakes. Sometimes, our greatest learnings and successes come from the magic of mistakes.
Besides, doing nothing is sometimes the most massive of mistakes we can make!
Be Open To Change
If you’re thinking about marketing, it’s a mistake not to be open to change. In fact, you must be willing to embrace change because if you do what you’ve always done, then you’ll get what you’ve always had. You must be willing to do things differently. As a marketing professional, there’s nothing worse than warning someone of impending doom that they need to avoid, only for them to ignore it and the worst-case scenarios happen. Or, if I spot an opportunity but someone is too scared to take a leap of faith. Only to regret it later! What really floats my boat is when I get to take my marketing mentoring clients through the journey and get to see the results and impact it has on them and their business.
I genuinely believe that you must have a growth mindset when it comes to marketing. Of course, I don’t mean you have to want to massively grow your business. I mean that you must keep your mind agile, be open to new directions and trust in the process. If you make some minor mistakes that’s okay too because the magic of mistakes is the learning we get and our ability to use this to further advance our businesses, not hold us back.
Taking A Risk Is Not Immoral
Many years ago, a guy called Dan Pallotta, authored an article titled, Taking A Risk Is Not Immoral. This article was published by the Harvard Business Review. I don’t know about you but even the title got me thinking. On one hand, as business owners, we need to be open to element of risk, otherwise we would never have set up in business in the first place. However, as small business owners, when we are in the process of decision making, we’re thinking about the human, financial and often personal impact it can have. Now, to be clear, I’m not suggesting that you make potential precarious decisions. However, in agreement with Dan Pallotta, Risk is an essential attribute of introducing an innovation to the world. It’s now a flaw! Marketing makes the world go round but if you’re not prepared to take that step forward, you will stagnate.
Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
When it comes to marketing, you may have to get of your comfort a little, you may have to make big decisions and you may have to reframe your mindset to take a calculated risk. Afte rall, not taking a risk could be the riskiest decision you make.
None of us are perfect. We’re all perfectly flawed. None of us know everything there is to know about business. There’s always someone who knows more, which is why I’m always open to learning. Surround yourself with the right people, get the right advice from a marketing professional who you trust and know that you can work with, do your due diligence, and take that leap of faith.
Summary
In the words of Susan Jeffers: Sometimes, you must feel the fear and do it anyway!
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My name is Tracy Heatley and I thank you for your time and attention whilst listening to my Be Better With Tracy Heatley podcast.
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