The envelope sat atop the kitchen table.
The very sight of it turned my bowels to water.
I was in high school, and we'd just received our final exam gradings for the semester.
I already scrolled the posts on social media—my classmates were rejoicing with their results, some even getting straight A's.
My fear intensified as I heard my Father trudge through the front door after a hard day's labour.
"What's this?" he mumbled as he grabbed the envelope, tearing it open simultaneously.
After a seemingly endless silence of two minutes, I heard it:
"Ahh for F*ck sake, what is this?!"
There it was, in all its glory. My masterpiece of abysmal failures, row after row:
Maths? Fail.
Science? Fail.
Geography? Fail.
And so on...
Now, while you were likely a better student than I, we can all relate to the sinking feeling of supreme failure. And when you're young, this feeling grows alongside you—and like an infectious zombie—sinks its teeth into your foundational thinking.
The thought process fuelling this feeling is: Mistakes and failure are BAD and should be avoided at all costs; If I happen to make a mistake, I should be ashamed.
Just like that, you find yourself in your early twenties—terrified to try something new.
Want to go surfing?
Nah, I'll look stupid.
Try learning a new skill?
I'll look stupid and make mistakes, no thanks.
Start a business?
No, in all likelihood I'll fail and my family and friends will laugh down their sleeves at me.
Remember: Mistakes mean you're stupid and you don't want a repeat of that time in high school. Making mistakes is not natural, because teachers in our education system scold and punish them. Moreover—and perhaps even worse—my peers will criticise and ostracise me from their circle.
Does this sound like you? Are you still symptomatic of the infection coursing through your veins since childhood? I call it an infection because that's what it is: A raging but silent epidemic, burrowing itself deep into the crevices of our young and old alike, never subsiding unless you rip out your foundational thinking and build upon the dust.
By now, you have likely come to the conclusion that this infection may otherwise be called the fear of failure and/or making mistakes.
Perhaps you're hesitant to engage with the forum, fearing grizzled veterans will flail you for not understanding their vast library of acronyms. Or, you're on the fence about starting a progress thread (what will happen if you meet adversity, or worse, fail?!). And, holy shit, if you put your effort into making a landing page and it sucks, you'll undoubtedly be banished from the forum and stripped of all your dignity!
Let me ask you one final question:
Do you ever wake up and argue with physics?
Do you ever find yourself thinking "sheesh, that ball shouldn't have fallen to the ground after I threw it in the air?"
Of course you don't.
So why do you constantly avoid or begrudge another law of nature: the ability to grow ONLY as a byproduct of mistakes?
You see, humans were innately designed to "fail" in order to evolve. It's not a glitch in the matrix, or a mortal sin—it's a feature.
The child takes their first steps after a series of debilitating stumbles.
Later, the child rides a bicycle on their own accord after a series of wobbling fender benders.
As an adult, the same process takes place in various ventures. But now it's perceived as filthy, unjust and indecent—a definite signal you're incompetent and stupid and should immediately halt any further efforts.
Decades pass, and only then do we reflect on our legacy, thinking "could I have done more...?"
For the vast majority of people, it's not a necessity to change their interpretation of failure.
But for those who aspire to reach great heights in any endeavour?
It's not up for discussion. You must change your inner monologue when you inevitably make mistakes or fail.
Let's fry this concept into your mind using a bizarre example: fast-food.
How many of you ever dined at McDonald's?
I'm guessing everybody has, and in the off-chance you haven't, you've definitely witnessed the famous golden arches at least once in your life.
From an entrepreneur's perspective, McDonald's highlights the epitome of business. Their system, marketing and revenue model are almost unmatched. At the time of writing, they're worth €184 billion. Not bad for a family founded burger joint, huh?
As for the man who ignited this leviathan of a company into a household name? At one time, he was a fumbling, ancient fossil who—more than once—embarrassed himself at his local bank, pleading for cash to fund his latest invention that Just.Wouldn't.Work.
At the time, you wouldn't be wrong to mock Mr. Kroc. He was a failed entrepreneur, whose relentless persistence almost cost him his marriage.
Peering beneath the curtains, however, you'd find that Mr. Kroc understood something 99% can't grasp: Mistakes and failure are in harmony with the laws of nature. And that if you truly took some insight away from each failure, you would find success. Not by luck, but by foresight.
As for those who mocked him? They probably lived comfortable lives, had a nice house and a healthy family. But they weren't substantial, they didn't wring the cloth of life and soak up everything it has to offer. They drew a circle and stayed within the boundaries, for venturing outside of it could possibly set off a chain reaction of dreaded failure. And don't forget: we should avoid failure as much as possible; It's dirty and immoral in a just society.
To illustrate the story of Mr. Kroc even further, head to Netflix and watch the film "The Founder". And no, I don't care that Reddit says he's a sleazy businessman
Great, so now you grasp how the "gifted" amongst us view failure...
What will you do with it?
Will you continue to pay for the forum, just to lurk in fear of public failure?
Will you keep your grandfather's secret recipe stashed in the basement, out of fear of the unknown?
Will you keep your latest idea to yourself— fearing investors will laugh at you—just to see somebody else doing it 5 years from now?
Heck, just look at my posts on here. I'm regularly willing to embarrass myself in order to grow, because what is "success" without "failure", just as what is "light" without "darkness"?
Stop running against the wind. Embrace the laws of nature and let them lead you to places beyond your wildest expectations.
When you inevitably meet Mr. Failure on your way, give him the same smirk Mr. Kroc did, and shake his hand firmly. Only then will he embrace you, for you have finally understood the world's most hated and misunderstood man.
-TWG
The very sight of it turned my bowels to water.
I was in high school, and we'd just received our final exam gradings for the semester.
I already scrolled the posts on social media—my classmates were rejoicing with their results, some even getting straight A's.
My fear intensified as I heard my Father trudge through the front door after a hard day's labour.
"What's this?" he mumbled as he grabbed the envelope, tearing it open simultaneously.
After a seemingly endless silence of two minutes, I heard it:
"Ahh for F*ck sake, what is this?!"
There it was, in all its glory. My masterpiece of abysmal failures, row after row:
Maths? Fail.
Science? Fail.
Geography? Fail.
And so on...
Now, while you were likely a better student than I, we can all relate to the sinking feeling of supreme failure. And when you're young, this feeling grows alongside you—and like an infectious zombie—sinks its teeth into your foundational thinking.
The thought process fuelling this feeling is: Mistakes and failure are BAD and should be avoided at all costs; If I happen to make a mistake, I should be ashamed.
Just like that, you find yourself in your early twenties—terrified to try something new.
Want to go surfing?
Nah, I'll look stupid.
Try learning a new skill?
I'll look stupid and make mistakes, no thanks.
Start a business?
No, in all likelihood I'll fail and my family and friends will laugh down their sleeves at me.
Remember: Mistakes mean you're stupid and you don't want a repeat of that time in high school. Making mistakes is not natural, because teachers in our education system scold and punish them. Moreover—and perhaps even worse—my peers will criticise and ostracise me from their circle.
Does this sound like you? Are you still symptomatic of the infection coursing through your veins since childhood? I call it an infection because that's what it is: A raging but silent epidemic, burrowing itself deep into the crevices of our young and old alike, never subsiding unless you rip out your foundational thinking and build upon the dust.
By now, you have likely come to the conclusion that this infection may otherwise be called the fear of failure and/or making mistakes.
Perhaps you're hesitant to engage with the forum, fearing grizzled veterans will flail you for not understanding their vast library of acronyms. Or, you're on the fence about starting a progress thread (what will happen if you meet adversity, or worse, fail?!). And, holy shit, if you put your effort into making a landing page and it sucks, you'll undoubtedly be banished from the forum and stripped of all your dignity!
Let me ask you one final question:
Do you ever wake up and argue with physics?
Do you ever find yourself thinking "sheesh, that ball shouldn't have fallen to the ground after I threw it in the air?"
Of course you don't.
So why do you constantly avoid or begrudge another law of nature: the ability to grow ONLY as a byproduct of mistakes?
You see, humans were innately designed to "fail" in order to evolve. It's not a glitch in the matrix, or a mortal sin—it's a feature.
The child takes their first steps after a series of debilitating stumbles.
Later, the child rides a bicycle on their own accord after a series of wobbling fender benders.
As an adult, the same process takes place in various ventures. But now it's perceived as filthy, unjust and indecent—a definite signal you're incompetent and stupid and should immediately halt any further efforts.
Decades pass, and only then do we reflect on our legacy, thinking "could I have done more...?"
For the vast majority of people, it's not a necessity to change their interpretation of failure.
But for those who aspire to reach great heights in any endeavour?
It's not up for discussion. You must change your inner monologue when you inevitably make mistakes or fail.
Let's fry this concept into your mind using a bizarre example: fast-food.
How many of you ever dined at McDonald's?
I'm guessing everybody has, and in the off-chance you haven't, you've definitely witnessed the famous golden arches at least once in your life.
From an entrepreneur's perspective, McDonald's highlights the epitome of business. Their system, marketing and revenue model are almost unmatched. At the time of writing, they're worth €184 billion. Not bad for a family founded burger joint, huh?
As for the man who ignited this leviathan of a company into a household name? At one time, he was a fumbling, ancient fossil who—more than once—embarrassed himself at his local bank, pleading for cash to fund his latest invention that Just.Wouldn't.Work.
At the time, you wouldn't be wrong to mock Mr. Kroc. He was a failed entrepreneur, whose relentless persistence almost cost him his marriage.
Peering beneath the curtains, however, you'd find that Mr. Kroc understood something 99% can't grasp: Mistakes and failure are in harmony with the laws of nature. And that if you truly took some insight away from each failure, you would find success. Not by luck, but by foresight.
As for those who mocked him? They probably lived comfortable lives, had a nice house and a healthy family. But they weren't substantial, they didn't wring the cloth of life and soak up everything it has to offer. They drew a circle and stayed within the boundaries, for venturing outside of it could possibly set off a chain reaction of dreaded failure. And don't forget: we should avoid failure as much as possible; It's dirty and immoral in a just society.
To illustrate the story of Mr. Kroc even further, head to Netflix and watch the film "The Founder". And no, I don't care that Reddit says he's a sleazy businessman
Great, so now you grasp how the "gifted" amongst us view failure...
What will you do with it?
Will you continue to pay for the forum, just to lurk in fear of public failure?
Will you keep your grandfather's secret recipe stashed in the basement, out of fear of the unknown?
Will you keep your latest idea to yourself— fearing investors will laugh at you—just to see somebody else doing it 5 years from now?
Heck, just look at my posts on here. I'm regularly willing to embarrass myself in order to grow, because what is "success" without "failure", just as what is "light" without "darkness"?
Stop running against the wind. Embrace the laws of nature and let them lead you to places beyond your wildest expectations.
When you inevitably meet Mr. Failure on your way, give him the same smirk Mr. Kroc did, and shake his hand firmly. Only then will he embrace you, for you have finally understood the world's most hated and misunderstood man.
-TWG
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