Success & Failure Often Go Hand in Hand

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New changes in life always involve a risk and a great belief in yourself. What has been and continues to be helpful to me in such situations is to take the time to think about those who have taken great risks in their life and who ultimately reached their dreams through perseverance and not letting failures or losses hold them down for long.

Some great people come to mind. For example, J.K. Rowling’s work was rejected several times (I don’t know the exact number) before her work was accepted. She lived in poverty with children. Abraham Lincoln has a long list of failures before he successfully won the presidential election. Donald Trump was in debt for millions of dollars at one point in his life, but he rebounded greatly as is enjoying multi-billionaire status today.

While not everyone must go through such extreme failure and success stories to enjoy success in life, I do believe that without great risks, you often do not open yourself to great rewards.

Right now I am starting a new job. It is a straight sales commission job that I am terrified about. The first day of training was inadequate to say the least, and the second day I was on my own. I only sold one item for the five and a half hours I was there. Granted my boss said there was no pressure to sell anything given it was my second day and that I had had next to no training, but still I know that in sales there’s always impending pressure and you cannot go long without selling anything.

Part of me wants to give up and part of me wants to try anyway, just to prove something to myself. While its long hours right now, more than they originally advertised to me (only 30 hours a week, they said due to the holidays), I want to try a position where I am getting paid for my own skills. While an office job that pays you the same amount regardless of your job performance from a day-to-day basis, I have never tried anything like what my sales rep position offers me now and well, I just feel something inside of me wants to rise to the challenge.

I spoke to another sales lady working in the next door booth to me my second day. She is working on commission as well. She said that she hated her job the first two days that she worked. Funny how this gives a person comfort. And, then she said she’s had incredible sales days.