Chapter 2 - Allow Yourself to Fail and See What Happens

What's good Hooked Up Fam?! I hope you all are safe and your families are well taken care of. 

Over the course of launching this business, I've had many friends, family members, and strangers ask me what it is that makes me tick.

"Ta-Shun, how do you wake up everyday with a winning attitude?" "How do you tune out the doubters, naysayers, and friends or family members?" "How do always you seem so HAPPY?"

You may have pondered these same questions about someone you have studied for some time and I'm here to answer them for you.

The truth is, the only way that I'm able to do what I do is because of readers like YOU. 

As much as a cliche as that sounds, I mean that from the bottom of my heart and by the end of this blog post, you'll have the answers you have long searched for so let's get to it!

Crawl Before You Walk

When I first envisioned starting a crochet business as a college grad, I was overwhelmed with the endless possibilities.

My mind was bombarded with questions like what products to make, how to build a professional website, how to pick a clever slogan, and how to effectively identify my target audience.

I was in over my head. 

After receiving ample feedback regarding my product development and brand marketing, I finally decided I was done putting off what I knew needed to be done.

I realized that if I failed, I failed, but I’d never truly know the outcome if I didn’t give myself the opportunity to fail. 

I took that leap of faith.

I jumped off the ledge and created my Instagram page. 

The greatest part was that not even 12 hours after creating the Instagram page, I got one of my first sales!

I didn't have a logo. I didn't have a website. I didn't have business cards. 

All I did was take a dream and convert it into action.

I discussed my business with everyone I'd encountered that day and made 3 sales on a completely new product!

How hard can it be, right?

Birthing Your Winning Attitude 

It was at that moment I realized that my dream of the life I wanted to live could soon become a reality if I really was ready to commit, so I went for it. 

My dreams are filled with travel, great food, and even better memories. 

I love cars, I love the outdoors, and I love meeting and connecting with people. 

In my last blog post, I encouraged you all to write down what your first brick was.

If you haven't read that last post, I'd HIGHLY encourage you to check it out or this post won't be of much help to you.  

Here's the link: https://www.hookedup.us/blogs/news/day-1

The significance of the brick is that your first brick is directly tied to my first piece of advise for you.

Discover your WHY

Your WHY is what will empower you during days when you feel like giving up. 

Your WHY will give you the strength to push through when social media egg accounts attack you, insult you, ridicule you, and mock you. 

Your WHY is what will make all of your heartache and troubles worth it. 

Now before we get too carried away, I want to inform you that your why can be as simple or as intricate as you want it to be. 

Your why can be your kids, your family, your house, your sanity, ANYTHING.

The main thing to remember is when times get tough, your why is what keeps you going. 

My why has shifted as I've aged and that's not a bad thing!

I'm the eldest of five and I grew up in a single parent home for the most part.

I have a great relationship with my both my parents and they have a great relationship with each other. 

As the eldest, a lot of responsibility was placed on me to set the bar high to be a great example for my siblings. 

I never wanted to live a life of mediocrity and like many of you reading this, I've had my ups and downs where I felt like I was on top of the world and was suddenly knocked off the face of the Earth. 

My ultimate goal is to build up a net worth so vast that I can live comfortably while taking care of my parents and employing all of my siblings to work for me. 

I will build something so spectacular that I'll pass it down from generation to generation. 

I previously spoke about the early successes with my business venture, but don't be fooled into thinking everything was peachy keen.

As the weeks progressed, I grew impatient with the process of learning new designs.

I felt discouraged after constant mistakes, and I lost faith in my ability to do what I thought I wanted so dearly.

I was crushed, demotivated, and stressed beyond belief. 

It wasn’t as easy as I thought it’d be and throwing in the towel crossed my mind many times.

Many people see my energy and my drive and think I never have bad days.

They think I never get upset, and I never experience failure.

Truth be told, I've failed more times in my life than I can count, but that's not the point. 

He Said, She Said

I said all of this to say, never compare your current life status with your perceived life status of others.

In this crazed era of social media usage no one ever posts their failures, shortcomings, or insecurities. 

We are all fighting our own personal and life battles.

The difference is, I've completely tuned out the voices of others that are unsatisfied with the status of their own lives that they simply live to bring others down. 

These are the people behind all those egg accounts on the internet that only spew venom and hatred. 

Don't let them get to you.

Don't let them bring you down.

Don't let their voice outshine the voice of your WHY!

Put your blinders up, and focus on YOU!

If you buy a new hat, they'll say you got the wrong color.

If you start a business, they'll say you should have went to school. 

If you learned a new skill, they'll say the industry for that skill is dying. 

The problem is, they're simply projecting their insecurities onto you! 

When people ask how I tune out the naysayers, I always leave them with this quote.

"Consider the track record of your naysayers. How many dreams have they successfully brought into this world?" - Sarah Ban Breathnach. 

So What Do I Do Next?

Over these last few months I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter how much you know going into an idea, what matters most is how much you are willing to learn.

I’ve learned that I needed to risk failing, or looking like a moron, to succeed.

I've learned that I needed to have the courage to reach out to others and ask for help with things that I don't know. 

I’ve learned through blog posts like this one that there is a strong community of people like you and I that are searching for the same answers. 

So, if any of these feelings resonate with you, I challenge you to not be discouraged.

I challenge you to write down what it is that you want to do, albeit learning a new skill, working on an existing craft, or even learning to ride a bike.

Brainstorm the hurdles that you believe are stopping you from achieving those goals and day by day chip away towards that dream.

Four months ago, I wouldn't have thought that I’d be in this current position to share my experiences to empower people like you to take a chance on yourself.

You’ve taken the first step towards achieving what it is you desire simply by reaching this point of this blog, don’t lose sight of that. 

It Takes A Village

I mentioned that the only way I'm able to do what I do is because of readers like you and from the bottom of my heart, I meant that. 

If you follow me on any of my personal or business social media accounts, you'll notice that I'm always sharing and promoting the work of others. 

I came across a quote the said the true value of a person isn't based on how much money is in their account, rather it's linked to how many lives have been improved or touched as a result of coming into contact with them. 

I strive embody this quote every single day of my life. 

What started out as me sharing the work of my friends and family members quickly snowballed into me sharing the work of EVERYONE, both large achievements and small ones. 

I get DM's all the time from strangers thanking me for sharing, commenting, or liking a post that highlights them or their work.

At the end of the day, we all want to be appreciated for our efforts, and it doesn't cost me a dime to congratulate someone on an achievement that they've worked hard for.  

Don't YOU want your five minutes of fame?

I mentioned in my last post that if you don't hear this from anyone, you'll hear it from me every single day of my life.

I believe in the abilities of each and every one of you reading this. 

It's time for you to believe in the abilities you possess. Stop limiting yourself. 

"Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will" - Karim Seddiki. 

I will do what I can to help ensure that your dream, your vision and your WHY is discovered. 

If sharing a post is all I can contribute, I will do it until cows fly. 

I think in this day and age, too many people are in competition with each other for all of the wrong reasons. 

Rather than compounding everybody's efforts to achieve a greater result, many hunker down well within their comfort zone and that is what cripples their hobby or business. 

I can't tell you how many great connections I've made that led to business opportunities simply because I shared a post of someone else's work. 

The Key To Happiness - Application

This is effectively known as The Law of Value according to Bob Burg and John Mann in their book The Go Giver.

The Go Giver is an EXCEPTIONAL book filled will life long lessons that you can apply immediately! 

If you want to learn more tips about the habits of successful people, I encourage you to visit your local book store and purchase the book, or sign up to my email list and I'll send you the link I used to get the cheapest copy of the book available. 

You can do this by visiting my website and scrolling to the bottom of the page and entering your email address. 

Here's The Link: https://www.hookedup.us/

Etched In Stone 

I encourage you to comment your why below.

Verbal affirmations contain POWER and I'd love for this to be the platform for you to archive your dream or you why.

Your life can change in one year, I promise.

We are all quarantined right now, so you have all the time you need to work on things you know you have put off. 

When are we ever going to get this time to reset again? 

Like I mentioned before, these blog posts are simply to help and inspire others to achieve their goals, dreams, and aspirations. 

I'm speaking from my heart about real life experiences that I've been through and allowing you to live vicariously through me so you can skip a few steps and achieve the dream that powers your WHY.

I want to thank you all for your help over the course of my journey. 

Until next time. 

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