Failures are not always failures
I used to make grand, detailed plans based on idealistic notions. I set dates for big goals that were inconceivable at the time. My album was supposed to come out by August of 2013. My novel was supposed to come out by 2016. I was supposed to have saved $20,000 by 2018. I was going to run a cafe by 2018 as well. I was hoping to learn a few more languages as well.
Earthquakes and illnesses taught me that nothing works out exactly the way you plan it. None of these came to pass as scheduled. I have yet to produce anything I set out to in any kind of finalized form.
Do I consider myself a failure? Not in the slightest.
I can say with full certainty that the music I make now is worlds better than the music I was making back in 2013. The writing is more focused and powerful. The conception and reasoning behind wanting to run a cafe has matured. The money I make now is more likely to grow whereas in the past, it would have left as soon as it came. I've also learned a lot about health, education and the ebb and flow of life. I've shed a lot of that excess baggage.
Despite failing to reach any goal I've set out to achieve, I'm doing really fucking well, actually.
I've got about 20 songs. I'm still trying to arrange them for recording, but they're solid. I no longer care as much about creating a final product and want to focus more on using the songs to build meaningful experiences for people through collaboration and experimentation.
I've got a book worth of short stories that I've already started to share on Patreon. I'm building a following and becoming more self reliant through steemit. Eventually I won't have to do anything that feels like work, which was something I couldn't conceptualize before.
I had a chance to run a community space/studio for 8 months and learned I don't really want to run a business that feels like a business, I like the freedom to do whatever and can do all that without any of the formalities of a cafe or a bar. We will most likely reopen in the near future once we save a bit more and find a good place for it.
I'm building up a crypto portfolio despite having 0 fiat to invest thanks to Steemit and, to a lesser extent, Patreon. I'm also able to connect to a growing network of tribes that are being born in the changes we are going through as a species, something which I have always wanted.
Things are pretty awesome
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Confessions of the Damaged - a collection of short stories
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by @skyleap
wonderfully up lifting post to wake up to this morning! thanks @whatamidoing I have a similar goal list never completed lol but you're right it's all about evolving skills and learning from that life experience. Those are the real goals and we've hit them so that is what really matters.
If you just set your intention, clear your headspace and work with the inspiration as it comes to you, Things get done when they are ready to get to get done :-)
how true! Gaining the patience to do that is the real struggle! lol
Hell yeah man! THats awesome, I also set myself lofty goals that I haven't lived up to. I've been improving while I go too though, my writing has gotten way better, so if I ever get around to writing a book I could do alright. I've got business ideas in the works and am learning how I might be able to implement them, and my view of life is getting much clearer. Cool post, we are always improving even if it's not in ways we planned in our heads
Glad things are working out for you too. I actually never thought I’d write stories so soon, I thought I’d do it when I was really old. Then one day my back problems were acting up and I had no heat in the house so I walked to a shopping mall just to stay warm and starting writing while riding up and down the escalator.
That's a great way to start a writing journey haha
That sounds amazing and so much more fun that what was in your original plan. I'm with you on not wanting a business that feels like a business. I've tried that on numerous occasions but have yet to succeed with it.
Also did a bit on Patreon but let it go.
This all sounds very exciting and hugely successful to me. Looking forward to hearing more.
Hope your community space/studio works out. I've wished many times that there was something like that for artists locally. (no I have no desire to start one 😁)
I enjoyed co-working for years and thought an equivalent for artists would be fun.
I think it takes a few practice runs to get it right and find exactly what you want it to be. It’s really hard to conceptualize something and have it turn out exactly as you want it, and sometimes when it does you find it’s not exactly what you want or people don’t get it and you need to reconceptualize. Keeping your expenses/rent at a minimum makes it much easier.
Man, what a confidence!!!
It is very difficult to get to point where you really are. Often we set goals and fails, we get disheartened and loses confidence. But what we should do is actually ask the question which we seldom does. Why I failed to achieve the target? This question you should ask to yourself because that's when you come forth with a actual problem and not an excuse.
Really inspiring, motivating, and beautiful writing.
You can learn from any situation, especially the ones that feel like a let down. Since I have this attitude, I’ve only moved forward, never backward. You can do it!
it funny, my little brother was building a RV and he kept getting frustrated because he had all these arbitrary deadlines he set but could never meet, so he stopped making deadlines. The RV is pretty awesome and almost done, like a year overdue.
It is really ridiculous and totally understandable to get frustrated at missing deadlines you set yourself. I’m finally learning to just use them for motivation, nitngetting stressed over them.
In Project Management you set long term deadlines but you also move them and set more detailed short term deadlines.
NO! You are supposed to feel depressed now that you failed to reach your goals. Because reaching your goals was supposed to bring happiness, thus, the opposite, failure is supposed to bring bad feelings.
But, this kind of thinking, that seems to be hammered into us in school. It all sounds so good, to all of those useless teachers. And they were useless because they had no real life lessons to teach. If they did, they wouldn't teach setting goals like they do.
You are correct, it is not the goal, it is the journey.
Goals are important for direction and lighting a fire under our ass.
Not for the actually getting there.
Very well said, especially the last few sentences. I can’t say school was totally useless but most of what I learned was not what was not the actual material taught but rather how society works, including its many contradictions.
I have the same problem with getting things done within a set time, but I keep on trying. Since you are a language coach, you might want to offer some input on language learning tags:
https://steemit.com/steem/@wentong-syhhae/steemit-should-help-language-lovers-linguists-teachers-and-learners-locate-posts
I will check it out, I didn’t know this existed, thanks!
Mistakes are made for us to learn from and to become better because of it, embrace failures and succeed the next time! Great post I'm glad everything turned out fine for you sir
Thanks for the reply, you are very right about that.
Good post Thanks for sharing
yes boss. i'm agree with you. because we know that failure is the key to success.