Sometimes the Most Painful Learning is the Most Valuable

Stu Perlmeter

Turning adversity into meaningful change

Without even mentioning the “C-word”, you all know there has been a large exogenous force, just slightly smaller than a comet striking the planet, and disrupting our lives, to say the least.

Small comets notwithstanding, we all experience setbacks in attracting and retaining customers. It’s the nature of competition and the reluctance of people to change from the familiar, to something clearly better, but possibly risky and requiring investment.

To be less murky, as we work hard to grow our businesses and increase our client base, we have setbacks along the way. If these setbacks aren’t troublesome, and even painful to you, stop reading now – this post isn’t for you.

For everyone still reading, here is a simple thought that may have occurred to you, but bears repeating. The pain that comes from the loss of something you worked hard on and were on some level expecting, is worthwhile only if you learn from it.

Not just a simple lesson, or a singular take-away. In every loss, there are levels of learning that have both depth and breadth. What I am advocating is an intentional immersion in the learning available from these painful setbacks. We all know, the natural human inclination is to turn away and address the next thing that warrants your attention.

Instead, don’t turn away — tease into the pain of that loss; learn what you can and take action. Get the value that is front and center and available to you.

About the Author

Stu Perlmeter

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Stu brings 30 years of marketing and research experience to 1st Resource, which he founded in 1996. Stu’s primary expertise is in understanding the market insights that tie to success formulas for companies seeking to grow their business in strategic ways.