Skip to main content

3AM Failure

What if I told you that dream you hold onto, that bold goal, that industry shifting breakthrough, that life defining win you chase with restless nights and quiet determination isn't hovering in some distant, perfect future? What if I revealed, with unnerving certainty, that it’s anchored right here, tethered not to luck or genius, but to a specific, milestone, It is precisely 30 failures away?


Stop. Rethink that number. It’s not 30 polite meetings that go okay. It’s not 30 affirmations whispered hopefully into the mirror. It’s not 30 lukewarm attempts where you dipped a toe and retreated. No. We are talking about thirty full throttle, gut punching, ego deflating, pride bruising, stare at the ceiling at 3 AM failures.

Each one a seismic jolt. Each one carrying the bitter tang of rejection, the sting of miscalculation, the weight of effort that seemingly vanished into thin air. Each one whispering lies about your capability, your worth, your very right to pursue that dream.

Now, the critical question isn't if you will face them the universe guarantees their arrival. The pivotal question is, How fast do you want to meet them?

Let me ask again in simple terms. If you were 30 failures away from your goal, how fast would you want to fail?

Will you choose the well trodden path of avoidance? The one paved with endless preparation, where comfort zones become traps? Will you hide behind the walls of perfectionism, endlessly polishing your self worth but never shining it? Will you linger in the purgatory of not quite ready yet, watching seasons change while your dream gathers dust on the horizon? This is the strategy of the many, the slow erosion of potential, the quiet surrender to fear.

Or... will you choose the radical alternative? Will you lace up your boots, square your shoulders, and run head first into the storm? Will you actively seek out the awkward conversations that twist your tongue? Will you court the rejections that land like physical blows? Will you embrace the messy, public mistakes that make your cheeks burn? Will you deliberately step onto shaky ground, knowing a fall is not just possible, but necessary?

Why choose this seemingly crazy sprint? Because this is what separates dreamers from achievers…

Failure is not the detour on your journey, it is the path. That resounding NO isn't a dead end, it’s a meticulously placed breadcrumb, revealing a hidden turn you needed to see. That spectacular flop isn't backward motion, it’s forward propulsion, it just looks like chaos, forcing a crucial course correction, burning away flawed assumptions, and forging resilience in the heat of disappointment. You don't navigate around failure, you learn to move through it with purpose.

You don’t need to avoid failing. You need to master its rhythm.

This is the relentless, transformative rhythm of progress:

1.  Fail Fast. Don't linger in the wreckage. Acknowledge it, dissect it swiftly, extract the vital lesson then move. Speed turns stumbles into data points.
2.  Learn Quicker. Sharpen your perception. What did this specific misstep reveal about the market, the process, your own blind spots? Turn raw feedback into actionable intelligence. Every failure is a masterclass if you pay ruthless attention.
3.  Grow Stronger. Each failure isn't just a lesson, it’s resistance training for your resolve. It builds calluses on your spirit, deepens your resilience, and forges an inner fortitude that future obstacles cannot shake. You don't just know more, you become more.
4. Repeat. This isn't a one time ordeal. It’s a continuous loop. Step back into the arena. Apply the hard won knowledge. Invite the next necessary failure. Each cycle hones you, bringing you closer.

That dream pulsing in your chest? It isn't patiently waiting on some mythical state of perfect, perfect timing, perfect skills, perfect conditions. That perfect moment is a mirage, forever receding. Your dream is infinitely more patient and pragmatic. It’s simply waiting on you. Waiting for you to shed the paralyzing fear of missteps. Waiting for you to understand that the bruises are badges of courage, not shame. Waiting for you to commit to the process, to gather those thirty non negotiable failures like the precious, hard earned currency they are.

Stop waiting for the path to clear. Start counting the necessary stumbles. Embrace the process. Your breakthrough isn't beyond the horizon, it's waiting just 30 failures deep. How quickly will you gather them? The clock starts with your next courageous, imperfect step into the unknown. Go. Fail gloriously. And get closer.

ღ Chi

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hit the Damn Reset Button. Your Brain is Begging You To

Let’s get real for a minute we are not robots. We are not meant to grind for eight plus hours a day, five days a week, fueled by caffeine and denial, pretending Teams notifications aren’t slowly eating our souls. Yet here we are burnt out, over-meetinged, and holding it together with the classic “Sorry, I was on mute.”  Newsflash : it is not fine. Think of it like restarting your Wi-Fi when the connection sucks. You don’t just keep hitting refresh you unplug it, wait ten seconds, and let it reboot. Your brain needs the same damn courtesy.  You are not broken you are just overdue for a mental reset. And what the hell is a mental reset, anyway? It’s not a vacation (though those help). It’s not quitting your job in a blaze of glory (tempting, I know). A mental reset is a pause.. short or long…that gives your brain room to breathe, stretch, and stop spiraling into existential dread every time someone says, “Quick question…”  Let’s blame hustle culture for making breaks feel l...
2 comments
Read more

Expectation Bomb

I want to talk about the expectation bomb. Do you know it? Clearly stated, uncommunicated expectations are pre planned resentments. (say it again for the people in the back)  And if you are clutching your pearls at that, you are probably the one who needed to hear it. We have all been there, seething quietly because someone should have known what we needed, expected, or assumed was obvious. But guess what? They did not know. People are not mind readers. They are just trying to survive their own calendar full of back to back Teams meetings, a hundred unread emails, and Susan from comp asking just one quick thing. Here is the truth, expecting people to magically meet standards you never actually told them about is a recipe for disaster. And it is not just annoying; it is toxic. It is workplace sabotage disguised as professionalism. Want that report done your way? Say so. Hoping for help on a project? Ask for it. Need your boss to actually give you real feedback instead of vague thumb...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fuel The Flame

Forget the org chart. Toss the employee handbook. There is a raw, unscripted kind of magic at work no one tells you about. It is not necessarily your boss or your direct report it is your ride or die. This is the one who speaks your chaos fluently, deciphers your frantic shorthand like it is poetry, and fires back a "YUP. Saw that too" Teams message before you exhale.  They are the voice defending you in rooms you will never enter.  They are not just supportive they are catalytic. Throw you two in a room and you can’t be tamed. You bring the fuel they bring the detonator. Kaboom. This is not about climbing ladders it is about lighting up the hallway as you walk it.    Whether they are on your team or in another department, they are the one who sees your vision, challenges your ideas into something sharper, and tells you do it when you float something wild. They do not slow you down  they set you on fire (in the best way). You will know your ride or die when your...
Post a Comment
Read more