Life Lessons From Barbara Corcoran

Barbara Corcoran, a part of the investors’ panel on the show Shark Tank (amongst other things,) has lived an interesting life. By the time she turned 23, Barbara had held over 20 odd jobs and was still struggling to make ends meet. However, everything started to change in 1973, when she founded her real estate company which instantly turned into a massive success! By 2001, she sold the company for a whopping $ 66 million to NRT Incorporated and since then, there is no stopping her. Here are some really inspiring life lessons to learn from Barbara Corcoran:

1. Accept fear

Every failure and every fear has an upside if you are in the game for the long run. The first ever talk show Barbara was a part of, she got so nervous, she lost her voice! For many people, this would be a dealbreaker when it came to being a media personality. However, Barbara realised this was just going to stop her growth and not help her push past her fears. By pushing through, she made sure she didn’t let the fear of public speaking overrule her decisions and after just a few years, she gave over 40 speeches in a span of 2 months. In fact, she also gave one of the most inspiring TEDx speeches!

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2. Always stay positive

In most situations, optimism is the key to success. According to Barbara, it is important to be optimistic in the midst of all adversity. One of the key principles Barbara follows in life is to meditate and stay centered, a rule which helped her get through a lot of tough times as well! The glass is always half full, whether or not you realise that fact.

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3. Take a leap of faith

You always have to take a leap of faith when you think things aren’t going your way. Barbara believes, people work the best when they’re under pressure. If you want to find out the best thing about yourself, then work on what makes things tick for you. Don’t stand around waiting for the right time because if you hold on for too long, then you might just lose out the best thing which could happen to your life!

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4. It’s all about perception

“The big mouth shall inherit the earth,” says Barbara. What does she mean by that? Simply that if you want your business to succeed, make it look bigger and better than what it really is. According to Barbara, when it comes to succeeding, self promotion is important to climb the mountain. Act like you have the authority to say the right things and when you send press releases of any kind, make sure what you say is truly original.

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5. Build firewalls between personal and private life

One of the major reasons people don’t succeed in staying at the top of their game is because they don’t know how to distinguish their home and personal lives. One of the reasons Barbara is so successful in life is because she compartmentalises every aspect of her life. Barbara believes, the one way to make it big in the real world is through following the rule of progress, not perfection!

Picture credits: barbaracorcoran.com

6. Fake it till you are it

Just like perception is everything, giving people a different view about you till you make it to the top is also an extremely important part of the growing up process. The more you go through the journey of growth, the more you realise that you are faking that which you really want and crave. According to Barbara, one of the reasons people fake perfection is because they are insecure and no matter where you are in life, insecurity never goes away. Another benefit of faking it till you make it is that you grow to become a better person by accepting the insecurities in life.

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Barbara Corcoran would not be where she is if she hadn’t accepted all the negative aspects of life. If you think you have learnt other things from her, comment and let us know!