I just returned from my annual ski trip when I, along with nine lifelong friends, attack the slopes. At our ripe ages, “attack” may be stretching it a bit, but between skiing, restaurants and bars, my body feels attacked when I get home!

Failure is Part of Learning

Skiing is a fabulous sport, but it may be the only one I know of where the first lesson taught is how to fall down. Now, mind you, it is important to know how to tumble so that no limbs are broken, but it is a wee bit daunting to start with that skill!

In other words, skiing starts with how to fail and reminds us that especially through the learning phases we will fail an extraordinary number of times! I should also mention that the equipment one gets to wear is like wearing lead boots with fancy sticks on the bottom. And let’s not forget the freezing temperatures and inclement weather!

A Phenomenal Payoff

Even with all of these strikes against it, thousands enjoy skiing at all ability levels. Their reason in many ways is like what motivates you to become a travel advisor. While there is a steeper learning curve than some imagine to becoming a professional travel agent, it is the overall experience that makes it all worthwhile.

Like in skiing, if one were to focus on the uncomfortable aspects, they would give up the sport before the end of the first day. But to glide down the hill with ease—a “mountaintop experience”—is a phenomenal payoff.

Being in travel provides the benefit of not only enjoying travel ourselves but also knowing we are providing those unforgettable mountaintop experiences for our customers. We work in an amazing industry, where we derive our income by making sales.

In sales, no matter what the product, you will fall down (face rejection, lose the sale). Even the best salespeople will fall down more than they succeed, therefore, learning how to fail gracefully and how to get back up may be even more important than in skiing.

No one really wants to focus on failure, but if you learn how to do it right and understand that with each fall you will learn another lesson to make you an even better travel advisor, then you will reach and appreciate your own mountaintop experiences sooner than you expected!