#067: My Biggest Business Mistakes and What You Can Learn From Them [Podcast]

Jun 26, 2013

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This week I'm going to pull back the curtain and share what I believe have been my seven against business mistakes, and what you can learn from them.

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Spiritual Foundations

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. Hebrews 8:6

Sometimes when trials come our way, we think God is giving us a test. Or that he is “shaping our character”. I have heard people say things like, “It wasn't until I got cancer that my family came together. So I know that was God's plan for my life.” Often, people in these situations will cite the book of Job as support for this position. Let me be clear: God is not the author of evil. And cancer is evil.

Many will point to the book of Job, or other places in the Old Testament, and say, “See, this is where God was judging a person… sending a spirit of sickness on a person… causing evil things to happen to a person or nation.” And then they will quote Scripture to say that God is “the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”

Such thinking misses the point. Yes, God is the same. But his covenant has changed. God has always been merciful. He has always been good. He has always been the healer, the restorer, the protector. The old covenant was given because God's people demanded it. It is not what he wanted for the, but they stood their ground in the desert and demanded that Moses go up and bring them back the law.

The book of Job is a book of bad theology, presented as bad theology. Job's friends, the ones who sat around and speculated about why God sent tragedy Job's way (as punishment for sin, to shape his character, etc.) got it wrong. God himself said so in the book.

Jesus, Scripture tells us, is the perfect mirror representation of the Father. Anything that you think about the Father, but which contradicts what you see demonstrated in the life of Jesus, is simply wrong. Jesus healed every person who came to him. He was merciful. He was joyful. And he never once imparted cancer, poverty, divorce, tragedy, or accidents to anyone in order to teach them a lesson. Does God make all things work together for good? Yes. Can he use any situation in our lives as an opportunity for us to learn and grow? Yes.

And keep in mind that he clearly promises us, among other things, divine health, divine wealth, peace… In fact he promises us that we will “prosper in all things, even as your soul prospers.”

Feature Segment: My Biggest Business Mistakes

Many business coaches and mentors are happy to tell you about their successes. Most are not so quick to share stories of their failures, because they worry that this will diminish their positioning in your eyes. The problem is: it's from failure that we may learn some of our most valuable lessons. Today, I'm going to share what I consider to be seven of my biggest business mistakes, what I learned from them, and what I feel you can take away from them as well.

Ray's Seven Biggest Business Mistakes

Not starting soon enough. How I hesitated to strike out on my own.
Going into debt. The borrower is slave to the lender.
Accepting clients I knew were a bad fit. The “Client Who Ate My Calendar” story
Failing to establish clear boundaries. “No, I can't take your call at 11pm on Saturday/”
Moving too slowly. Ideas lose fire as the clock ticks.
Failure to focus. Dispersing your forces weakens your impact.
Lacking simultaneous execution. Just so I can contradict #6…

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