Small Business Marketing Tip: Success Can Make a Failure Out of you

by Tim Allen

Success! It's something that makes its way into the signature lines of marketers across the world. Everyone in the world wants it. If you are an athlete you dream of making it on the team, in the pros and then to the highest trophy in the sport. Those in the sales and management industry aspire to make more sales and make more money. Yes, Success is the driving force of any venture big or small. But a danger exists when you pursue success in whatever field you are in. In fact I can guarantee any person who finds success will be in danger.

What is the danger we are talking about when it comes to success? Simply it is success itself. Now you may think that is strange. That success is a danger onto its own achievement. Perhaps though I can illustrate by this simple scientific fact, "What goes up has to come down". When you first throw a ball up in the air you'll find that it loses its steam when it reaches the pinnacle of its climb. It does not have the same force or push that it had when it started. You could say the ball has lost interest because it has reached its target.

Or what happens in sports when teams win the championship in their league. Is the desire as strong as when the team did not have that success of winning it all? The answer can vary. However when the other teams and players see the success of the winning team it makes them want what the winning team has. Their hunger and their desire eclipses the team that previously won it all. Thus our former champion becomes the hunted.

Now granted sports players in professional leagues are usually taken care of for life after their 10-20 year career. Perhaps even just 1 or a couple years would make them set for life. For most of us that's not the case. If we see some success it's probably only going to last us a fraction of our lifetime monetarily. If we fall into the lull of thinking that we can take it easy on ourselves we risk losing the passion we need for the profession we are in. Face it, any profession you take up now a days you need to keep that fire in your belly to stay in good form. Seeing success can soften you and turn you into a procrastinator. This may not happen at first; but over time you could see that trend developing in yourself. Your upcoming projects will then suffer.

What's the solution? When lunch comes around and you missed breakfast what is it that drives you to find that lunch time meal? It is hunger! Hunger is what drove you to success in the first place. Hunger is what made you work those long hard hours to get where you are at. You saw a vision in your mind and there was nothing that would satisfy you until you made it happen.

Do whatever you need to keep that hunger alive. If it is getting additional education and learning a new slant on the industry you are in - do it. If it is being a part of a support group - do it. If it's maintaining your lifestyle - by all means do it.

Remember that hunger is what got you success in the first place. That hunger is like a fire that burns within you. A shift in your mindset may also help. Instead of viewing success by monetary numbers view it as projects you were able to complete in a timeframe. Education is also important. It can inspire you to try new things in your business ventures and keep things fresh.

To conclude I'm not going to just wish you some success. My hope is that your future success does not make a failure out of you.