Okay, well, it is. But it's not a dirty, 4-letter word. This year, I'm embracing the concept of failure in my business. I've realized that you can't succeed if you don't try, and sometimes, trying leads to failure. It just does. But I have to be okay with that in order to grow. I've decided that I can't allow the fear of failure to keep me from being innovative in my business pursuits.
Quick story: The first time I offered my multisensory creative writing class, I arrived early, set up my space, and stared at the clock, counting down the minutes while waiting for students to arrive. I felt we had spread the word pretty well, but when classtime came around, not a single person showed up. Nobody was interested. And an hour later, when it was time to teach research-paper writing, I only had one student.
That single student turned out to be a blessing in disguise. She was very dedicated to learning new skills, and I was quickly able to find areas in my curriculum that needed a tweak. Well, more like an overhaul. Since then, I've taught both classes over and over, with great success. And do you know what? I still find myself adjusting things as I go along.
I have big plans for 2020, and I'm not going to let failure slow me down. If I offer a class that flops, or if I put a plan into action that doesn't work out, I'm going to take a step back and analyze what went wrong. When I discover the answers, I'll be better off than if I had succeeded from sheer luck on my first try. I'll have more experience, more knowledge, and more resolve.
I'm really excited about everything coming up at Crescenza this year, and everything I've got scratched into notebooks and onto sticky pads, and even the things that are still bouncing around inside my head. I can't wait to see where we're headed, and I hope you'll be able to come along for the ride.
-Amy Lee