My good friend and a fellow entrepreneur once told me that the more you fail, the better it is for you. I didn't agree with him entirely but I did see some truth. Now I understand that without failing and without starting small, you truly can’t grow. Here is how I have failed this year summed up by what I have learned on the entrepreneurial journey:

  1. Don’t take anyone's advice too seriously unless they are A. members of your family you look up to, B. are saying it passionately or C. have a motive for your sake and not only want to share This-is-what-I-know/experienced.
  2. If you are working on a product of any sort and are lacking certain skills, don’t build it without a partner who fulfills those skills. This can be a partner on any level, but certainly don’t work with contractors if you don’t understand their work.
  3. Don’t attempt anything too big and don’t change the timeframe for deliverables after you haven’t met them a second time. Rather, change the deliverable!
  4. Don’t take anything too much to heart. Each person is on their own journey and anything they say or do might have been said or done completely differently, had it occurred five seconds before.
  5. Relax, rest and rejuvenate. Rehab at the end of the year is not the answer. Often we attempt too much too quickly, in one day or one week or even one year. Until this year headaches were unfamiliar. I've learned mental health is mandatory!
  6. Try to appreciate what you are doing at the beginning of each morning. Five years ago most of the activities you are doing today would have sounded fascinating, fun and rewarding. If they suddenly bore/irritate you, something is not right! A reminder for why and what you are doing will help this situation. Even a one sentence manifesto above the bed can remind you of your goals and inform you of when it's time to move on.
  7. I have set goals and New Year's resolutions over 30 times in my life (this includes the Jewish new year and hence is a higher amount than my age). This time, I am setting them here. I aim to follow each of the above and while I will continue to fail, hopefully I will be listening to my own advice and those that should be listened to, working alongside a couple of able individuals this year, working with realistic targets (semantically and time frame appropriate), brush off anything offensive, take care of myself and appreciate this journey each day because I chose it!

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Sharonna Karni Cohen is the Founder & CEO of Dreame (bonus: use discount code mymindmydreame for holiday savings), an art startup that turns imaginations and visions into art. She is a Board Member and Co-Pioneer of Streets which is responsible for publishing the world's first urban crowd-sourced book. Sharonna grew up in Tel Aviv and London and received her Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) from the University of Bristol. 

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