It’s been a year since I left corporate life behind me, and it’s
been an amazing ride!  One of the most surprising things is
that nothing has turned out as I would have predicted, and
yet the year has been one of the best years of my life.  

It’s been a whirlwind, the year has contained a bit of
everything – loss, grief, change, excitement and
exhilaration.   The biggest reward of the past year has been
learning, the kind of learning that can only take place when
you lose the familiar and are faced with creating it all over
again from scratch.

I’d like to share the top 3 things I’ve learned:
What a Difference A Year Makes!
1.   You can’t predict the future, so don’t worry about it.
2.  If you don't give in to fear, you'll surprise yourself
3.  Failure is a good thing!
A year ago I was worried about everything.   I was worried about running out of money and how to get clients.   
The work to become a certified coach seemed “too hard”, and I expected to be lonely working from home.   
Amazingly, without exception, the worries I had a year ago have evaporated into nothing!  My financial
situation is surprisingly good, I love working from home, I have a great group of clients*, and my certification
training was a terrific and rewarding learning experience.    Those early worries could have easily derailed my
efforts and my confidence, had I let them.
As many of you know, I can be quite shy.   I used to hate being in a room of strangers and having to chat with
people I didn't know.  Well, if you know anything about small business ownership, you know that networking
typically comes with the territory – success is often dependent on connecting with people and the easiest way
to make those connections was the dreaded “Networking Mixer”.    After forcing myself to go to a local
Chamber of Commerce mixer, I was amazed to find that it was actually fun!  People were focused on
connecting with others, and I had a steady stream of local business owners to chat with and learn from.      

By not letting fear control my decisions, I find myself succeeding at things I never dreamed possible.  And,
with each success my confidence increases.  I find myself continually upping the stakes – I’m able to take
greater and greater risks, expanding what I’m capable of.
As Thomas Edison put it, “I have not failed.  I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”  Failure is a natural
part of learning, but we are taught at a very young age that to fail (or get an “F”) reflects a weakness, a lack of
something - intelligence, persistence, character….the list goes on.   

On my first day of training to become a coach, the students each got a sticker that said “Fail”.  We wore the
sticker throughout the whole week of class to remind us that failure is a necessary part of life.   The secret is
this:  it’s necessary be open to failure in order to try new things, and it is necessary to try new things to learn.    
Many of the students in my class had achieved a high degree of success in earlier careers, and none of us were
comfortable with making mistakes.   But learning to remain neutral and open when we failed enabled us to take
in the information that the failure offered.  This then became the knowledge that we needed to ultimately
succeed.   

As a special gift, I've include a copy of my original “Fail” sticker from my class.  I challenge you to cut it out
and post it somewhere to remind yourself that failure is the path to success!
Curious about coaching?  Send me an e-mail or call me at (510) 865-7115 to set up a free sample session today!  
And please pass this e-mail on to anyone you think might be interested in coaching.
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© 2008   Melinda Elliott Coaching, LLC