At 17 I moved in with my older brother to attend university. Interestingly, the “issues” I faced living with him are eerily similar to living with my husband. Little explosion of messes left throughout the house, standards of cleanliness nowhere near as impeccable as my own…..hair shavings left in the sink….the list goes on. One afternoon, after an exhausting day of three classes and hanging with my friends enjoying coffee for hours on end, I came home to a complete disaster. Even worse, there was dried spaghetti all over the kitchen wall!

“I needed to see if it was cooked. If it sticks its ready. If it doesn’t stick it needs more time.” My brother explained this philosophy to me like it was normal for copious amounts of noodle to be hanging off ones wall. Too bad the wall paint chipped when he took it off!

13 years later I find myself smiling when I think about that entire scenario.

Truly my big bro was on to some forward thinking! So much of what we do in business is simply throwing spaghetti against the wall. An entrepreneurial mind is constantly searching for new ways to improve, to market, to adapt, to produce change and create success. It’s important to go beyond our own comfort zone and believe in the opportunities of our seemingly crazy ideas to grasp further victories of success.

Brian Tracey said, “I’ve found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.” In other words, get out the spaghetti (your idea), start cooking it up (research and planning) and start THROWING it against the wall (take the chance and go for it!).

Will it stick? Maybe. Better to TRY then to experience REGRET that you didn’t.

If the sticky strands fall sadly down the wall, take a breath and toss them back in the pot for more research and planning –don’t forget to take in a good dose of resiliency and TRY AGAIN. Always remember the Chinese Proverb that the temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.

Thanks to Jack Canfield for this one. “As you begin to take action toward the fulfillment of your goals and dreams, you must realize that not every action will be perfect. Not every action will produce the desired result. Not every action will work. Making mistakes, getting it almost right, and experimenting to see what happens are all part of the process of eventually getting it right.”

My big bro did teach me a lot during that one year of living together as university chums—and in the years since. He recently received Young Entrepreneur of the Year from his hometown Chamber of Commerce and is now in the running for British Columbia Entrepreneur of the Year. Geesh. I have some catching up to do!

Trisha Miltimore is a national speaker, mom of two princesses, radio announcer and retail business owner. Her passion for EMPOWERING Mompreneurs and youth takes her across Canada spreading her message on the POWER OF KARMA (Knowledge, Attitude, Respect, Motivation and Action!).

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