A few days ago we launched The Successful Mistake Pre-Order Campaign, and what a wonderful first few days it's been.

Thank you for your support and kind words, it truly means a great deal.

And to say thanks in written form, I thought I'd share how The Successful Mistake Begins (aka: The Introduction). It's still in draft form and requires a solid edit, but this is where it's currently at.

I hope you like it, but above all I hope you share your thoughts and feedback :)

For a few seconds I was fine, but then panic kicked into gear and consumed me, sending shivers over my skin and a nauseous thud throughout my stomach. “What have I done?” I whispered. “I’ve made a mistake. I can’t do this.”

I. Was. Terrified. 

Some people grow up with the dream of owning their own company and taking charge of an empire. Not me. For the longest of times I aspired to climb the corporate ladder and become a vital cog in a grander machine. When you work for other people, there’s less stress and more security. Working for myself… nope, not for me.

So why did I lay paralysed in bed, unable to escape the covers due to the realisation I’d become a self-employed man?

Why had I welcomed unemployment with open arms in the belief I’d find greater happiness by taking charge of my own destiny?

I remember this shitty morning like it was yesterday, my alarm barking to life at an unruly hour because I wanted to get up and start my new existence with a bang. Like I say, for a few brief seconds all was fine, but this peace didn’t last.

“What have I done?” I whispered again, clinging to my cover like a little boy afraid of the dark.

As you read these words, I’m positive you relate to such worry, fear, and self-doubt. Maybe you’ve already had a morning like this, or maybe your entrepreneurial journey has yet to begin. Either way you nod your head and agree, and I write this with confidence because I’ve interviewed 163 successful entrepreneurs for this book.

These are people with money, fame, and freedom, yet still shared stories of worry, fear, and self-doubt.

It doesn’t matter how esteemed or wealthy an individual is, they still suffer through the same worries I did that morning, and they continue to make mistakes and fail. But they approach such scenarios differently to how I did, although it’s taken me an entire book to realise this.

It’s now your turn to unearth such life-changing lessons, but before you do I’d like to focus a little more on this horrendous first day because it’s here where this book began.

You see, as I laid in bed unable to move, I considered the previous few months of employment and security.

I wouldn’t say I loved my job, but I didn’t hate it, either. The money was good. The potential, exciting. Life, overall, pretty darn spiffy.

The thing is, it was around this time I began to blog and delve into the online world. I wrote more and discovered new people, and befriended folk who lived a life on their own terms. All of a sudden the corporate-ladder-climb didn’t seem so sweet, nor did my daily nine-to-five grind.

I yearned for more, and what started as a mere rumble exploded into life when my boss, Tony, called me into his office.

“I want to change your role in the company, “ he said. “Going forward I’d like you to focus on…”

It was no use, his words evaporated into nothing as I drifted off into my own thoughts.

I was different to the rest of the team, you see, always keen to experiment and implement new processes, which in the beginning was great, but I sensed wound certain folk up the wrong way. As I look back on my twenties, I was a terrible employee at each and every job, and it was during this short meeting with Tony I realised this.

I also realised I faced three choices:

Take the new role and grow frustrated.

Get a new job and more than likely grow frustrated.

Work for myself and build a life on my own terms like those I admired online.

I’m sure you can guess the choice I made, which lead to this morning of paralysis a few weeks later.

I hopped into bed the night before a free-man-in-waiting, complete with a long to-do list and hefty mind of dreams. I drifted off to sleep with a plan, knowing how I’d spend my first day of entrepreneurship.

But a few hours later I woke up and clung to my sheets like a child.

Wishing to cry, I starred at my to-do list, terrified to tackle a single task because I didn’t know which deserved the most attention.

Each passing second drained me of confidence and belief, and I honestly considered calling Tony and pleading for my job back. I felt worthless and useless, and as I slipped deeper into my self-pity I did the only thing I could think to do… email those who had been through this before.

After all, I’d just spent months befriending a bunch of entrepreneurs and online go-getters. These people were now my peers and had advice to offer, and although I only completed one task that day, luckily for me it turned out to be the most important of all.

WE LEARN MORE FROM OUR STRUGGLES THAN OUR SUCCESSES

Over the next few days I Skyped, coffeed, and conversed with numerous entrepreneurs and business owners.

As they shared stories and advice, a particular theme interweaved its way through each conversation, because for some reason these people chose to focus on their mistakes and failures.

I couldn’t believe it. I figured they’d offer successful stories and build up my confidence, not torture me with their hardships.

“Do you know something,” I said to my buddy Arnold, tapping my chin. “You’re the fifth person I’ve spoken to these last few days, and each one of you has focused on your mistakes. 

“Why are you telling me this instead of the successes you’ve had. It doesn’t make sense,” I whined.

Gazing above his webcam, Arnold smiled. “I guess we learn more from our mistakes than our successes.”

Lifting me from my self-induced fog, clarity reigned supreme as these numerous conversations intermingled into a single cohesive epiphany. 

You see, people like you and me start new businesses each day. We’re scared and cautious and overthink too much, and although you have your dreams and goals and believe in what you’re doing, it’s easy to slip into a glass-half-empty mentality.

You fear making mistakes.

You fear failure.

You compare yourself to those you admire, therefore making it impossible for you to succeed.

It’s understandable because we’re brought up to fear and avoid failure and mistakes. 

It’s red-ink on your homework; it’s failed exams and tests; it’s rejection; it’s a job you don’t like but have to take; it’s pressure from your parents and teachers; it’s the media and stardom and bright lights of Hollywood; and the fact that if you don’t have a particular degree or drive a certain type of car, you’re deemed not quite good enough.

Is it any wonder you fear mistakes and failure? Is it any wonder you begin a new venture with such hope, but soon drown under self-doubt and insecurity?

The truth is we’re born to make mistakes and fail again-and-again.

I recall my beautiful son learning to walk, and the tears and frustration and bumps and bruises. It didn’t come easy, but each tumble took him closer to those all important first steps.

He gargled a lot before he learned to speak.

Sometimes you have to burn yourself in order to appreciate it isn’t a good idea to touch fire.

During this conversation with Arnold, I appreciated these worries and fears in a new light. I realised those I spoke to weren’t warning me or kicking me when I was down, rather helping me to see this entrepreneurial journey isn’t perfect and isn’t without hardship.

And although it may be hard to believe, we don’t reach success despite our failures, but because of them.

A NEW MINDSET FOR A NEW AGE

A few weeks later, I walked through London whilst I visited Arnold.

“After talking to you, I knew what I had to do,” I said. “I like to think I value mistakes and the lessons that come from them, but  I’ve not been doing this of late. I’ve allowed them to hold me back, and it’s never been more apparent than the last weeks.

“The truth is, I’m scared. I don’t know what lies ahead of me, and it’s terrifying.

“I guess most people who begin a business feel like this, and maybe some always do. But in the same way you’ve helped me, I can help them because I’ve got this idea for a book…” 

I continued to tell Arnold all about this idea, which, many moons later rests in your hands as you read these very words.

I didn’t plan to write this book when I first left my job, but it’s that dreaded first day that inspired me to do so.

You live in a world of opportunity but absolute chaos. The internet has not only brought us closer together, it’s pushed us further apart. There’s so much stuff and white noise, and so long as there is, your self-doubt and insecurity will continue to creep into your life. 

And just like it stifled me, it will stifle you too.

It stops you from fulfilling your version of success because you continue to worry about failing and not reaching the lofty heights of your idols.

But my friend, you cannot stop yourself from making mistakes; you can, however, learn to deal with them and transform these situations into life-changing ones. This is what the world’s most successful people do, and after interviewing 163 of them, I’m excited to share what sets them apart.

If you’re the type of person who believes you have it figured out and live a life of perfection, this book isn’t for you.

If you’re happy to plod along and remain safe and content, this book is not for you.

But if you desire success and a life built on your own terms, this is a book you need.

These pages aren’t jammed with one case study after another, simply throwing more useless content at your face. The journey you’re about to begin guides you through a seven-stage-process of intention and purpose.

It’s designed to show you how the world’s most successful people deal with adversity, and how you can too.

It’s written to not only inspire you, but give you the necessary tools to build your own version of a successful mistake.

I interviewed 163 successful go-getters… spent 100+ hours on Skype… sent over 1,000 emails… and dedicated over three years of my life to this book so you can learn how the world’s best minds approach their failures and transform them into success.

If this doesn’t sound like something you wish to be part of, close the book and go read another one.

If it does, I invite you to turn the page and unravel what this unique seven-stage-process has in store for you.

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