Everyone is Afraid of Something...

The other day somebody made the comment to me, "That's easy for you to say, you're Skip Cohen!"

It might seem off topic a little, but in all honesty, we're all dealing with a long list of misconceptions about each other. Yeah, I'm Skip and I've been in this industry my entire life...and yes, I definitely love it. I've also had my share of disappointments.

• During one of my years at Polaroid, probably around the fifth year I was there, I bid on 64 different jobs and got turned down for every one of them. I was in Research and worked with terrific people, but hated the job. I wanted to get into management, personnel - anything with people and just couldn't seem to do it.  I finally got a great job as a staffer in what today would be called HR. A few months later, I was laid off. Fortunately had bumping rights back into the hourly ranks of customer service. Essentially I was starting all over again!

• I left Hasselblad to be president of an Internet company, PhotoAlley.com. Even though we went well over thirty million dollars a year in sales, the owners of the company couldn't get us in the black and 2001 the company folded. I found myself standing in the unemployment line.

• Five years ago when I resigned from Rangefinder/WPPI to start my own company, my wife asked, "What are you afraid of?" My answer, "Failing!" Sound a little familiar?
  

So, what got me on this topic this morning? It's a quote from a book called, Life's Little Instruction Book, Vollume II.

"Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something and has lost something."

It's a simple point to remember, we all share disappointments, accomplishments and passion for different things. Everyone, including me, has had to deal with mistakes, difficult times and bad decisions. None of us are truly alone unless we choose to be. That's where your network comes in and becomes so important to helping you grow.

For me, I continue to have an great career, not because of anything I've done, but because of the incredible people who have become friends and associates. These are people who inspire me, push me and help me stay focused. So, the next time you start to say to yourself, "Oh, it's easy for them, look how successful they are," think again - nobody in this industry ever started out at the top!