There’s Always A Lesson To Learn Even From Trying Website Builders
Last week I signed up to try a few website builders in search of the perfect one. My criteria was simple: easy to use, affordable and modern templates. While it would have been easier to pay someone to do it for me, I thought I’d save money and give it a try. I moved and edited text and images to try to get the best possible look.
Where did all the time go?
After all, website builders are here to help people build quickly. Right?
Even for the less tech savvy the struggle is real. When I finally got something I liked I needed to locate the perfect domain name. I’m pretty sure that’s when GoDaddy came to the rescue. After an intense standoff and most of my suggestions being shot down in a domain search, I knew I had to throw in the towel and cut my losses.
The domain names I wanted were already taken and the flood of recommendations to add something like a 74685932.com and other number combinations to my preferred selection just didn’t sit well with me.
I told GoDaddy “No Daddy!”
Hours invested for absolutely nothing that I liked.
And while I regret not spending the day writing more content, pitches or simply anything, it was the stubborn determination and a will to succeed that kept me scoping for the best deal among WIX, GoDaddy, SquareSpace and other website builders.
Where did all the time go?
That’s when I told myself,“Let it go.”
Walt Disney failed before he gained notoriety and success.
There’s always a lesson in failure.
I finally clicked on the X in the upper right hand corner of my computer screen.
Shut it down!
In the end, I didn’t get the perfect website like the ones displayed on YouTube ads or infomercials, but I did learn invaluable lessons from using website builders that I’d like to share.
Here are the five lessons that I learned:
1. Failures are learning opportunities in disguise
Nobody likes to fail. When you devote so much time to something it’s only natural to want to reap the benefits of your efforts. But what if you don’t? What if your harvest doesn’t come to fruition and your fields are left barren?
Don’t throw away the sickle.
Program your mind to understand that behind failure there are countless opportunities for you to do something that is very important.
Reflect on both the pros and cons. Here are a few questions to consider:
- What happened?
- What worked for you?
- What didn’t work for you?
- What could you have done differently?
The next time you’re ready to start again, you’ll know which pitfalls to avoid and what not to do. Use every lesson and reflection to help you sow that next seed. Then wait patiently for your harvest.
2. Change Your Mindset
I’m sure you’ve heard the proverbial saying “You are what you eat.”
Nobody who wants to compete in a marathon trains their body by eating junk food everyday and refusing to exercise. You can try it, but don’t expect to cross that finish line any time soon or to make Top 20.
I’d like to suggest that the same principle in this phrase applies to the way we think. Eventually, whatever you feed your mind and constantly tell yourself will take root and nourish the very depths of your soul and thoughts.
If you constantly feed into the idea that something is too difficult, you probably won’t want to try again and lesson # 5 will be irrelevant.
Train your mind to reflect on the many wonderful lessons you can learn from failures. Don’t succumb to failure or think that you’ll never succeed. If you do, you may become what you think.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Let Go
I knew early on during my fiasco that this website design thing wasn’t going to work.
While I should’ve probably moved onto something else, the growth mindset mentality got in the way. There is nothing wrong with a little perseverance, but sometimes we need to accept the truth that there’s a time for everything. There’s a time to eat, a time to sleep and a time to let go.
Don’t be afraid to let something go and then come back to it when you’re ready. It doesn’t mean that you’re saying goodbye forever. When you let it sit for a few days or however long you need, you’ll be able to come back to it with a clear mind, fresh ideas and give it another go. You’ll save yourself frustration and time in the end if you just let it go for the moment.
4. Stop Worrying
There’s no need to worry! Plan and be open to changes. Trust that everything will work out exactly how it should in the end. If things don’t seem to be going the way you expected, stop, reflect and implement some of the lessons you’ve learned from your reflections.
There’s no need worry and work up unnecessary anxiety. It’s not going to make you perform any better and may only lead you into an abyss of never-ending questions and overthinking. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
5. Never Give Up
In 2000, the R&B singer Aaliyah released a song called Try Again. The main chorus of that song constantly reminds listeners to get up and try again whenever they don’t succeed.
The same is true for anything you do in life.
I left the website builder trials that day, bothered and a little unnerved by the experience. It was taking too long to recreate my vision. After some reflection and re-planning, I realized that I would need to do more research to get a better grasp on websites, domain names, SEO and all the perks that come with website builders.
I didn’t make the website yet, but I have not written it off indefinitely.
When the time is right, I’ll pick up where I’ve left off and return to the drawing board with a new plan and refined vision.
Never let failures make you throw in your towel forever. Something may not happen for you this exact moment, but that does not mean you have to scrap your goals entirely. Sure, you’ll have tough times. Somewhere along the way you’ll use what you’ve learned to help you grow from those tough experiences.
We can’t see the outcome just yet, but if you give up you’ll just never know. Continue to try again and again even if you must pause and temporarily shut things down for awhile.
There’s always a lesson to learn from failure.
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