The Real F Word

Let’s talk about the F word.

I know what you’re thinking, but no, not that F word. I’m talking about FAILURE.

It’s funny how that word gets tossed around like it’s the end of the road. But in my experience, failure is rarely the full stop. If anything, it’s usually the plot twist. 

When something doesn’t go your way. When you lose a deal you’ve prepared weeks for. When you realize a business plan you envisioned isn’t actually working. Those moments might suck in the short-term, but they are typically your catalysts for moving forward and progressing.

See, you don’t fail without effort. You don’t land face-first unless you were moving. Which means failure isn’t the opposite of progress. Failure is a sign you were once in motion. You tried something. You gave a damn. You were bold enough to take a risk.

And yeah, maybe you missed. But now you have something way more valuable than a perfect record: information. Unfiltered feedback on what’s broken and where to aim next. You don’t get that kind of clarity when everything’s working out fine.

What didn’t work? What needs to change? Where’s the opportunity? Failure has a way of forcing clarity. It strips away the narratives that made us feel in control and puts the spotlight on the issues we’ve been avoiding. 

So, whatever you do, do not discredit what got you to that failure point.

Just because it didn’t work out the way you pictured it doesn’t mean the effort was wasted. It means you're one step closer to figuring it out. Progress isn’t clean and it’s certainly not linear. It’s a cycle of trial, error, and adjustment.

Each time you get back up and try again, you have a chance to move forward with more intention. It’s an opportunity to apply what you’ve learned and make a better decision the second time around. But if you don’t take the time to understand what went wrong, you risk repeating the same mistakes.

The people who are successful aren’t the ones who avoid failure. They’re the ones who know how to use it to their advantage. 

Failure isn’t the finale—it’s the inflection point. The moment you get to decide: do I shut down, or do I evolve?

I know which one I’ll always choose.

-G aka The Failure Flipper

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