Fail Fast

I fear failure.  In fact, failure is a motivator and a de-motivator for me.  

I imagine I'm not alone in this but this post is a message to myself.  

This blog is called "Do Hard Things First" and I really try and live by this.  I plan each day or week out by thinking about the hard things I have to do and scheduling them first in the day and if possible, first in the week.  If I have a meeting that I know might be difficult, I will look to schedule it early in the day.  I hate spending my day worrying about a challenging meeting.  I plan my runs for first thing in the morning because if I wait until the end of the day, I will come up with 100 excuses why I don't need to run.

Do the hard things first....

But, the hardest thing for me to do is to fail and I never put it first.  I bury it in cement and put it six feet underground.  I don't ever want to face failure.  

Fail Fast?  That is a mantra that many espouse. 

I grew up seeing failure and very little success.  My father was always looking for the next get rich scheme.  None of these ever really paid off.  But, the ironic thing is my father was a brilliant business person and salesman.  But, he wanted to cut corners by being dishonest, cheating, or stealing.  

Because of his behaviors he never had a job for more than 2 or 3 years.  He either got fired or quit.  This led us to move a lot.  By the time I was 12, I had moved 13 times.  I am always asked if my father was in the military and I wish the answer was that simple.

I grew up feeling that if my father had kept his nose clean and just kept one of his jobs, he would have been a wealthy person.  

I made a commitment that I wasn't going to be like my father.  That included how he was a husband, father, and employee(employer).  This mindset was beneficial and harmful at the same time.  

I listen to the stories of entrepreneurs and I marvel at how many times they all fail.  While the failures might have been painful, they were not deterred.  The successful ones seem to be the ones who embraced it as part of the process.  

“The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.” —John C. Maxwell

While I haven't really ever failed, I don't think I can say I ever succeeded.   I have a wonderful wife, two awesome boys, and a roof over my head.  So, I am very blessed.  I also have a good job that I have been at for 13 years that pays me a good salary, but I have never been satisfied.  I have always had a yearning to do something on my own.

In fact, I started a gun business in 2007 called Live to Shoot.  I had big plans for it but they never materialized.  I haven't been willing to put myself out there for a fear of failure.  

Then in 2014 I entered into the fire and water restoration business with 2 other partners.  I had aspirations of helping people.  While we help people, I am not active in the business and can't exert as much influence to change lives.

I don't know where this journey is going but I intend to try and fail and fail fast.  And that scares the dickens out of me...

I plan on sharing this journey regardless of success or failure. I hope others will join me, encourage me, fail themselves, and hopefully, all will grow in the process..