Some of us find ourselves in more awkward situations than others. The embarrassment that can come along with that may feel like a total failure. But what if embarrassing yourself is the best way to succeed?
Try and conjure up the last time a major embarrassment happened to you. Heart racing, sweaty hands, and maybe a bit of panic are probably the first things that come into mind. Beyond that, though, there was probably a lesson learned that came from that debacle. Tyler Tervooren published an article on the website, Prsuit, detailing how excruciating these moments can seem and why they are vital to your success.
He went into detail about his first business venture, a coffee subscription service, and two mortifying moments that helped put him on the path to achieving his goals. The first being a “cupping” meeting in which he had no idea how cupping worked. Trying to impress the individual you want to do business with in that situation can feel horrifying, but if he had backed out, he wouldn’t have learned all of the vital information he received that day. The second embarrassing moment came to him in a grocery store when, totally out of options, he brought boxes to the store to figure out the best way to package his coffee. Were people staring? Sure. Did he feel uncomfortable? Yes. But figuring out how to pack those boxes saved him a bunch of money. Tervooren provided some great advice:
“If you’re afraid to do something important because you’re afraid it’ll be embarrassing, it’s not actually important to you. What you spend your time on is what’s actually important to you.”
So get out there an embarrass yourself. You may find that you will be on the receiving end of positive change. What may feel like failure could actually be success in disguise!