In business and life, we are bombarded with what it means to be successful, and it what it means to fail. The definitions vary, and “key performance indicators” in both areas change based on who you are and who you talk to. Here we look at succeeding versus failing and how asking for a little help can help you set a path to your own success.
Success in business and life
While there are industry-specific metrics, being successful in business generally means executing, being productive, being profitable, growing, and achieving goals. On the flip side, failure is represented by poor execution, poor production, losing money, not growing, and not reaching goals.
Adding “success in life” to this can be even more rewarding. Ralph Waldo Emerson writes:
“Successful is the person who has lived well, laughed often and loved much, who has gained the respect of children, who leaves the world better than they found it, who has never lacked appreciation for the earth’s beauty, who never fails to look for the best in others or give the best of themselves.”
Failure on the other hand is giving up and not helping others.
Succeeding – and not failing – based on these benchmarks seems like a tall order to fill. But it can be achieved.
Ask and you shall succeed
To achieve success, you must be willing to do whatever it takes. This means asking for help. Many people resist this – they do not want to appear unknowledgeable, lose pride, or admit weakness. This fear should be squashed.
One of the biggest weaknesses in people in business – and the biggest reasons for failing – is not having the courage to ask for help. The reality is: What do you have to lose? Asking for help gives you the insights of others and reveals opportunities you may not have thought of. To succeed you have to be willing to try something different and accept that you can’t always do everything yourself.
The success then comes full circle: Successful people ask for help, and being able to help others is its own form of success. People love to help other people, right?
Big Change can help
Big Change Advisors has reaped our own success through the years. In business, we’ve been profitable, and we’ve achieved many goals. In our lives, we’ve won respect, laughed often, and loved much. We’ve asked for helped and we’ve been rewarded by being able to help others.
If you’re looking for ways to find your own success, just ask. We can use the best in ourselves to bring out the best in you – productivity, profitability, growth and achievement. Your success will be our success too. And, together, we cannot fail.
Steve Pomeroy is the founder of Big Change Advisors, a Los Angeles M&A advisory firm of business advisors and capital sourcing advisors for startups and middle-market companies. Since 1992, Steve has completed over 38 transactions including M&A, Capital Sourcing, and Public Offerings representing over $800 million in total transaction value. Through Big Change Advisors, Steve donates a percentage of all fees – or invites clients to donate a portion of Big Change Advisors fees – to help serve the homeless through the Los Angeles Mission. To request a free consultant, contact Steve here.
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