The difference between failing and giving up

There is a subtle difference between failing and giving up that most people do not comprehend. Most people fear ending up as complete failures. There is not such a fear when it comes to giving up because it is a voluntary action people control. When people give up, they tell themselves, "I can always do it later," one of the many subtle lies people tell themselves. \nIt is a large misconception that people either fail or succeed. Try to think of the last person you know who truly failed at something. In fact, take it one step further. Find someone (older than 30) who has had a large failure in his or her lifetime who has not rebounded back to large success. I myself had to dig through hundreds of people to come up with someone that fit this description. \nAs Jim Collins says in his book, "Good to Great," "The enemy of great is good." Interestingly enough, people who fail eventually succeed. \nThere is no cure, however, for people who just give up. If you give up in a certain situation, it is highly likely you will give up if you face the same situation, or a similar one, again. You can change your company's industry and your company's name, and you can make the logo look really nice and professional. The bottom line is you are either determined to succeed or not. \nPeople are faced with two options in difficult circumstances. One option is giving up; the other option is going for it and succeeding or failing. Notice how I have grouped success and failure. The difference between the two is only a temporary difference. The difference between giving up and going for it is monumental.\nThe worst-case scenario in failure is that you gain something from the experience. There is no real way to grow or gain knowledge unless you are exposed to new problems and new environments. Most people live in anxiety because they fear the unknown. There are many unknowns I personally face in business. The only way I have found to get over this anxiety is to actually experience the worst-case scenario. \nIn my business, I feared not getting tickets to a customer in time until it finally happened. I had to listen for five minutes while someone yelled in my face. Of course, initially it was a very unpleasant situation. However, after the experience, I told my partner and the other broker representatives, "Now I know what the worst-case scenario is."\nMost people live within a comfort zone they have created for themselves. On a scale from one to 10 (one being living in destitution and 10 being living a fulfilled life), they live in the five-to-seven region. If they are lucky, some people live in the five-to-eight region. Truly successful people live in every region. Successful people like to camp out in the one-to-three region for many years before they are able to achieve anything. \nThe one-to-three region is a very lonely area in which to live. I lived in this area for many years. I struggled with several businesses and with a lack of support from friends and family. However, I soon realized the payoff gained from these experiences would be huge. \nThe one-to-three region teaches you self-discipline, self-respect and how to not take anything for granted. More importantly, these experiences help add fuel to a fire inside that is much more difficult to light than it is to put out. Only by experiencing the very worst in life can you hope to attain the very best. As someone once said, "The only difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person is that a successful person is willing to do the uncomfortable."\nI am writing this as much for my readers' benefit as for my own. I am faced with some very difficult situations with my company. I have several decisions to make. the biggest of which is whether or not to give up. The answer might sound simple, but it is truly not. If I do give up, I will walk away with a good amount of money. More importantly, especially if my partner and I decide to sell the company, people will look at me as a success. However, if I choose to keep control of the company, I risk losing everything and being seen as a failure.\nThe reason I will not give up or sell (just yet) is because I know there is still a lot for me to learn from this experience. I know getting out of this business would rob me of many opportunities.\nSometimes in life it is important to judge yourself honestly regardless of what other people think of you. It is very simple to handle success; it is in the worst of times that true character develops.