We’ve all been there – the endless scrolling on Instagram, secretly comparing our lives to strangers, wondering things like, “why does everyone’s life seem SO perfect? What am I doing wrong? How do they keep posting amazing content?”
Everyone seems to effortlessly run thriving virtual assistant businesses while juggling so many tasks at the same time. You think to yourself, “I’m never going to reach that level.”
If this is you, I’m going to tell you why failing does not make you a failure and how it can be the leverage you need to reach your highest potential.
I’ll also share some of my personal experiences in both business and life so you can see how I used my mistakes to grow. But first, let’s talk about why failing is actually A GOOD THING.
Failure is Inevitable
People are so afraid of failing. Unfortunately, it’s ingrained in our culture as something to avoid – whether it stems from traumatic experiences as a child, worrying that others may judge us, or maybe our mindset is just wired that way.
It’s important to know that failure is inevitable. It’s up to you to take those failures and turn them into life lessons you can learn from.
The problem that most people have is that they believe failure is a bad thing. So, once we’ve inevitably failed, we see ourselves as “failures.”
But my question to you is, what did you learn from that failure?
Failure Is a Greater Teacher Than Success
Failure provides you with the opportunity to reflect and recognize what went wrong. You learn what NOT to do later, how you can do it better, what to avoid, and so much more.
Failure forces you to get creative and try new things and slowly take you closer to your end goal.
Failure Makes You Appreciate Success More
Once you fail at something, you’re able to put things in perspective. You’re able to recognize all the hard work that went into that project or that product. All the mistakes, the blood, sweat, and tears, the ‘trying again,’ the ‘not giving up even though you really wanted to’ – all those experiences allow you to appreciate the sweet success!
Failure Makes You Stronger
Failing and not giving up builds character. Yes, it’s scary, and it feels uncomfortable, but significant growth happens when you step out of your comfort zone.
Those uncomfortable situations will happen. And the more they do, the better you’ll get at knowing how to face them head-on. No one’s going to get better at something lying on their couch and waiting for it to happen. You have to get out there and make mistakes!
You’ll learn to adapt to different situations and come back stronger every time.
Failure Gets Rid of Fear
For many people, the fear of failure is holding them back from the many opportunities available to them. When you lose that fear, you become fearless! You’re willing to take more risks and head straight toward your goals.
Hello, dream life!
I’m telling you this all from experience, my friend. So, let’s dive into 4 of my biggest failures in business and life.
1. Having No Financial Safety Net
This was the lowest point of my entire life. I had been working as a Virtual Assistant for 2 or 3 years, and my husband had just gotten out of the military.
Our lifestyle left no room for savings whatsoever.
Every single dollar went straight to rent, health insurance, and other bills. And we had no savings. We downsized from a house to a one-bedroom apartment, and I watched my car get repossessed. I even had to ask a friend to pay for my water bill.
Our lives fell apart, and I kept struggling as I continued to work online.
2. Not Establishing Boundaries With Clients
I felt so insecure about setting clear boundaries with clients that I allowed them to pay me late, or I didn’t even ask for payment. A huge no-no that I teach my students! And this was after I put in hours of work for a project, only for them to blow me off later.
We were flat broke, and I still would allow things like this to happen just because I didn’t want to ask my clients for the money they owed me. Huge, HUGE fail!
3. Taking on Nightmare Clients Out of Desperation
Not having enough money to provide for my family caused me to take on clients who didn’t feel right to me. I would ignore the gut feeling that something was wrong or that a project wouldn’t suit me, and I would tell myself that it would all be okay.
A huge mistake that resulted in a loss of income and a lot of extra stress – just because I didn’t believe in myself, I didn’t have a mentor or the right tools to lead me in the right direction.
4. Failed a Major Online Launch for a High-Tier Product
Business owners and entrepreneurs are launching products left and right, but what you don’t see is:
- All the failed launches
- Mindset challenges
- Imposter syndrome
- Every other insecurity under the sun that they had to go through to get to where they are now.
I once launched a $1,000 program, and my goal was to get 20 people to join.
Guess what?
3 people signed up. 3!
I felt like such a failure, but I didn’t give up. I took another look at the program, tweaked it, and relaunched the new version (which was much more successful).
If you’re at the point right now where you’re trying to build up an online business, and it’s not working out the way you want it to, or you’re not hitting your goals, keep going!
I promise you, things WILL get better.
Either set different goals, adjust your marketing strategies, services, or products a little so that you do hit your goals.
Failing is a part of life; there is no way to avoid it. You either decide to fall into the pit of despair and give up or choose to get back up and try again.
Life throws waves at you, over and over again. Sometimes you’re on top, and everything is going great, and then that same wave comes crashing down on top of you, and you’re drowning.
But remember, the hard times are temporary. Think of every struggle and hardship as the foundation for something better.
I wish I would have had more guidance when I was starting out. That could have protected me from some of my failures and helped me be successful sooner. Failing is okay, but why not use the experiences of others to avoid some of the most common mistakes people make? In my free class, I go over everything you need to get started as a VA, which can help you avoid some of those failures!
My failures are what got me to where I am today. If I had quit after my first failed program, I never would’ve launched 90 Day VA, where I’ve helped over 3,500 women work online.
Don’t beat yourself up over your mistakes or failures. Be proud of yourself for trying and going after your dreams when many people get paralyzed by the fear of failure and end up doing nothing at all. You got this, and I’ll be cheering you on the entire way!
Meggie Lemmens is a virtual assistant working toward expanding and perfecting her skills to work remotely.
She’s a member of 90 Day VA and assists with content repurposing, blog writing, social media management, and more.
When she’s not helping out businesses and creators, she loves to travel, hike, and read.
Her social media pages are currently under construction but make sure to check her account soon so you’ll be the first to know about all the services she offers and how she can help you. You can find it here.
