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It’s never too late to find success
It’s never too late to find success. At the age of 65, Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame was living off of $105 a month in social security checks, and had contemplated suicide. It’s fair to say that he’d had a tough life. His dad died when he was 7, he dropped out of school at 13 and by 17 he’d been fired from a handful of jobs.
He was married and divorced by 22 and lost contact with his daughter at the same time. In fact, by the time he was 40, the story goes that he’d been knocked down A LOT, with a plethora of failures under his belt.
Sanders was a passionate cook and particularly loved fried chicken. In his 40’s he found his first success when he started selling fried chicken. People loved his chicken and came from all over for it. Sanders hit on his first real break and soon had the money to buy a shop of his own and an adjoining motel. Shortly after he purchased the motel, both businesses burned down.
Knowing he was on to something, he quickly rebuilt, only to be stopped in his tracks by the onset of World War II.
Time after time he tried, and each time he lost the lot. Was he too late to find success?
After the War, now at what some would consider the ripe old age of 65. Sanders was quite dissatisfied with the direction his life had taken, he had no money in the bank, no business and some would have argued, no prospects. But he always believed in himself.
He knew he was a great cook; his patrons had always told him so. Short on cash, he borrowed money and left Kentucky with the idea of selling his recipe door to door.
He had a hard time, and ended up visiting over 1,000 restaurants before he received his first meaningful yes.
And then the floodgates opened. By the time that Colonel Sanders was 88, he was a billionaire and the 6000th KFC had recently opened.
Lessons to be learnt
1. Perserverance
There are a couple of interesting morals to Colonel Sanders’ story. The first is really the story of perseverance. No matter what life throws at you, if you have a dream, there’s always a way.
If there’s one thing I’m sure about, it’s that there’s no such thing as overnight success. And having perserverance is essential for success in business.
Sanders could have given up after visiting the 999th story, and we would never have known him. He would have forever deemed himself a failure. But he didn’t give up, and that’s why KFC is what it is today.
Focus on the bigger picture and remember why you started the business in the first place. Break down tasks into smaller, manageable chunks, and celebrate small victories along the way.
The ancient Japanese proverb “Nana korobi, ya oki” means “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” We all have the ability to choose to never give up hope, and to always strive for more. Keep your focus not on the reality in front of you, but on a vision for the future.
2. Don’t let age define your success
The second is that it’s never too late to find success. Our culture often champions young entrepreneurs with dreams (30 under 30 for example) but the reality is that most business owners don’t even start their business until their mid 40’s, and most don’t find success until much later on in life.
Everyone has the potential to reach their goals, regardless of their age. It’s important to stay motivated and focused on your goals, and to never let your age define what you can or cannot do.
As long as you remain dedicated, with perseverance, and a positive attitude, you can reach your goals no matter your age.
Wherever you’re at right now, as long as you keep holding on to your dream, you have the potential to change the world.
3. Stay hopeful
It’s the start of the year and I assume that spirits are still high. Regardless of how many trials you faced in 2022, I encourage you to keep your spirits up high and remain hopeful. Go fiercely after your dreams. And remember, it doesn’t matter how many times you fail. You only need to succeed once.
Staying hopeful in business can be challenging at times, but it is essential in order to stay motivated and productive.
How do you do it? You start by controlling the controllables. Take steps to develop your skills or exploring new opportunities.
Additionally, it can be helpful to draw inspiration from successful entrepreneurs you admire, or to build a support network of colleagues and mentors. Finally, don’t forget to take time for yourself and recognize your own achievements.
With a combination of hard work and optimism, you can make your business dreams a reality.
Conclusion
Failure is inevitable. You’ll hear it from the biggest failure to the biggest success stories. Everyone fails.
Colonel Sanders was no exception. Going by his story, it’s really important that you believe in yourself over and over again, no matter what. Because you never know when Lady Luck might be around the corner.
Colonel started as a small business owner with a recipe and a dream, and eventually built one of the most recognizable fast food brands in the world. His story affirms that anything is possible if you work hard and never give up.
And finally, it’s important to never give up on your dreams and keep striving for success. It may take time, but if you have faith in yourself and your abilities, you can achieve amazing things.
Colonel Sanders was sixty-five years old when he started his business, proving that age is not a limit to success.
In summary, this year:
- Embrace perserverance
- Don’t let age define your success
- Stay hopeful
If you’d like support to find your success get in touch or take a look at our 1-2-1 coaching.
Dream big
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