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Success is not final, failure is not fatal..It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill

If you want to achieve at the absolute highest level, there's something you’ve got to get really comfortable with – being bad at new things.

And I mean really bad. It’s not just something you might encounter, it’s something you need to embrace if you want to succeed.

Why Being Bad Is the Key to Success

Success demands learning, and learning means you’re going to suck at first. That’s just the price of admission. Take this business I’m in – when I started, the thought of being on camera was the furthest thing from my mind.

I spent over a decade, closer to 15 years, without ever stepping in front of a camera. But if you want to succeed, you’ve got to keep getting better, keep learning, and keep mastering new skills.

The reality is when you try something new, whether it’s making your first offer, launching a product, or being on a video, you’re going to be bad at it. And that’s okay. This is what having the right mindset for business is all about.

Tennis Lessons and the Growth Mindset

A few days ago, I had a tennis lesson. I’ve been playing tennis since high school – competitively, too. I’m pretty good. So, I was learning a new stroke, something I’d never tried before. And I sucked at it. I really did. But I knew that was part of the process.

The ball? It wasn’t about where it went, or even if I hit it. It was about my footwork, my setup, how I was swinging. I knew it would take thousands of hits before I’d even start to feel like I was getting it. But that’s what it takes.

The Process Over Perfection

When you’re learning something new, you’re not going to be good. And that’s okay. It’s not about getting it right from the start, it’s about learning the process. It’s about figuring out how to execute the basics before you even think about being great at it.

So if you want to succeed, you have to get good at learning. And to get good at learning, you have to embrace being a beginner. You have to accept that you won’t be perfect – or even close to it – for a long time. But if you keep at it, you will get better. 

And you’ll get better fast. The biggest gains come in those first hours of deliberate, focused practice.

The bottom line

The bottom line is that you need to get comfortable with being bad at something. That’s the essence of a growth mindset. It’s about understanding that being bad is just the first step toward being good – toward mastery.

So, embrace it. Lean into the struggle. Every mistake, every failure, it’s all part of the journey. And with a growth mindset for business, you’re on the path to success, even when you’re stumbling.

Whether you’re launching a book, product, or online business, success comes from pushing through the struggle. With the right guidance, those early challenges can turn into big wins.

If you're ready to master the skills needed for real success in launching and growing an online business, The Launch Formula has already generated over $1 BILLION in sales. Get started with Launch Quickstart – my FREE training to help you build a business you love. Enter your email here and let's get started.

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