Lately I've noticed that my 3-year old son Caleb has become quite the little perfectionist, not to mention, he's completely independent and doesn't need any help whatsoever. I thought it was a phase, but after asking a handful of mom-es if their kiddos ever went through this, I realize his perfectionist attitude could be a result of him learning his ways from me, and if he gets something wrong, well, there goes the neighborhood. He gets upset when he gets anything less than 100% and becomes totally emotional when anyone tries to help him if his answer is incorrect.
Thinking back on my life, I guess I was the same way. I strived to be perfect in everything I did. Fast-forward to now and I've come to the realization that nothing is perfect. Life's not perfect, and running a business definitely has its ebbs and flows. You can't let the little things push you down for fear you'll never get back up and try again. This is one lesson I'm trying to instill in him.
Just last week, I presented to a prospective client, a charter school, some ideas on how to boost enrollment for the 2012 school year. I was confident, maybe too confident, the account was mine given that I was their target market, had a handful of moms who could serve as a focus group right off the bat, and presented some practical and fresh marketing ideas. I was told early on that the committee was "very impressed" by me. So, naturally, my confidence was boosted and I was waiting for the call to let me know I had won it. I literally thought it was in the bag ... until I received the email that they decided to use another firm.
What to do?
I could mope around and let this one account take over my life and in one word, paralyze me from ever trying again.
I could go over and over in my head why the account wasn't mine until I drove myself and everyone around me crazy.
Or,
I could take it with a grain of salt, thank them for the opportunity, and know that I was destined for other great things to come.
I of course chose the latter.
Being a mom-e, none of us have the time to sit and ponder what ifs. We have responsibilities to uphold, kiddos to tend to, and businesses that need our undivided attention. If we continue to let even one opportunity knock us down, how will we ever grow?
I may have not gotten the "one" account I was hoping for,
but I look at it as a learning experience on how to improve next time. As I keep telling Caleb, nothing in life is
perfect. Many times our mistakes and
failures are what drive our successes.
There will always be disappointments in life, but it's the way you deal
with them that can either stop us in our tracks or rise us to the top.
Tisha Marie Pelletier is a mom entrepreneur, president of Details Event
Management, speaker, founder of
The Mom-e Club, and author of When the Universe Throws a Curve Ball - How a
mom entrepreneur went from disappointment to living her passion. Connect
with her on Twitter @tmpelletier or visit www.tishamariepelletier.com.