I recently had the opportunity to hear Barbara Corcoran speak. I’m a huge fan of hers and that was definitely a bucket list item for me. She told the story of this wall in her office that has pictures of the people she’s invested with over the years. About two-thirds of them are hung upside down. Why?
Here’s how she explained it. As she starts working with someone, their picture is right side up. She’s watching them. Inevitably, they are going to encounter a challenge of some kind. Something is going to go wrong. A manufacturing deal falls through. An order gets delivered and it’s completely wrong. Something. When it does, she’s watching to see how they handle it. Do they scream, point fingers and lay blame? Or do they handle the situation, find a solution and move forward? Option one means their picture gets turned upside down. Much of an entrepreneur’s success lies in how they handle the situation when things go wrong.
So what does this have to do with my launch party? Was she really there?! Okay, so technically speaking, she wasn’t there. I’m totally sure she would’ve been if she could’ve but she’s a busy lady! I do keep her and that story with me always though.
One of the things I do almost every day is I visualize my picture on Barbara’s wall. I see it right side up. Every time I go to an event, speak, anything….I visualize my picture on her wall and her watching me. And she was watching me at the launch party for sure.
It’s the middle of July, hot as blazes outside. The power is out at the location for the launch. Because of traffic, I didn’t get to the location as early as I wanted to, to set up so I’m still setting up when people start arriving. I fell during the setup. I left my shopping bags at home. The card reader was acting funny. Lots of bumps in the road. And in the back of my mind, I see Barbara with one hand on my picture and saying “I’m watching you”.
No matter what your goals are. If you’re a student, a business owner, a parent…your success isn’t determined by the circumstance that happen. It’s how you react to and handle the circumstances. Keep your cool. Find the solution. Laugh at yourself. Have faith in yourself.
So how did the launch go?! Despite the bumps in the road, I think it was a success. I had a great time. Friends came out to support. I met some new people. We had a great time! And, most importantly, I think my picture is still right side up on Barbara’s wall.
photo credit of Barbara Corcoran – barbaracorcoran.com