In 2009, I had a powerful AHA moment—one that has impacted me nearly as much as any success principle I’ve been sharing over the past twenty years.

A good friend of mine has started over a dozen companies: about a third were miserable failures, a third did okay, and a third grew into multi-million dollar successes—all starting from almost nothing.

Through those experiences, he honed a process—a core PRINCIPLE—that governs the success of businesses and startups.

A couple weeks ago, I was feeling stuck, hitting a brick wall in my own journey and unsure what step to take next.

He immediately saw the problem—I had a blind spot—and he helped me see it clearly.

The lights turned on, and I was amazed by what I learned sitting across from him. I’d been feeling burned out and saw my instinct to pull back from my goals as a sign of failure. But he’s a Mt. Everest climber and explained that climbers who rush straight for the summit—the shortest, fastest route—are often the ones found dead by morning. Success isn’t a straight line. Acclimating at each stage is critical to lasting success and true profitability.

That’s when it hit me—my gut feeling to pull back wasn’t weakness or failure. It was exactly right. What felt like a half-empty glass (“I’m failing”) transformed into a half-full one (“I’m acclimating”). That shift gave me a positive mindset. I stopped feeling like I was doing something wrong and once again felt worthy of receiving everything I need for my greatest good.

Pulling back or changing course isn’t a sign of defeat—it’s often a sign you’re exactly where you need to be.

This new perspective has given me permission to pause, breathe, and recharge whenever necessary so I can face challenges and keep moving forward.

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