In a perfect world...

In a perfect world, what we present about ourselves, our family, our business and professional lives on social media and other places online would be an accurate match of our reality. Many times people pretend that by living this perfect life that somehow it will actually come true. But guess what - we live in a flawed world! We are flawed people. Picture perfect is rarely what our lives are, so who are we kidding? The purpose of today's message is to challenge you to be authentic and face the reality of your failures. At the time I am saying this, I am challenging myself to do the same. I believe this small act can have a significant impact on our hyper-connected world.

I'll just speak for myself, offer some vulnerability and openly admit that I fail every day in some way. Some mistakes are more costly and detrimental than others, of course. I'll share some examples. I have times where I don't deliver the results my clients are expecting, because of many different reasons. Separately, I have personally invested in deal or opportunities that have had rough patches that could have been avoided. I have lost out on opportunities because of laziness, lack of preparedness, or lack of hustle. There have been big and small goals that I don't attain because of a lack of grit, focus, dedication or for a whole host of other reasons. I have failed in many relationships with a lack of understanding, care, perspective or appreciation. Sometimes I fail simply because I don't have the practical knowledge to put together the pieces that are needed to succeed. The moral of the story is, I fail quite frequently in many ways.

Over the past year (and throughout my life) I've had countless failures. The more things I have attempted to achieve, however, the number and intensity of those failures have sharply increased. What these failures have caused me to do is to take an inventory of the things that I must improve on - whether it is pure lack of specialized knowledge, absence of drive or persistence. I am on a road that I hope ends up in success, but I continuously encounter downs and ups, ups and downs. I've been told those that attain success have failed much more than those who don't.

What I have learned is this journey is not anywhere close to a straight and narrow path. This has caused me to realize that in the long run the failures are what will really make me who I intentionally want to become. Failures I have experienced result in a "sting" and impact me deeply to a point where I have no choice but to change directions. What these lessons have taught me is that I must improve and eventually make me realize they are blessings in disguise. I must seek and offer mutual value to mentors for specific purposes. I must voraciously read books on strategies, mindsets, philosophies, and various improvement topics to arm myself with the appropriate knowledge to avoid making the same mistakes twice. As I apply different practices to my learning to help reduce the chance for future failure, I must remind myself that future failures are irrelevant but the goal is to eliminate one failure from reoccurring. Failure in itself is no fun, but the resulted growth experienced from the pressure it creates is beautiful. 

I challenge you to be transparent and do not have fear for the inevitable failures that await you on your own path. Whether you're investing in income producing real estate, building a business or a family, or growing in your career - the failures will be inevitable. Focus on correcting those mistakes through intentional action and you will be lightyears ahead of those who never even tried. While you're at it, don't be afraid to be yourself along the way!